A/N: So... super early upload cause... well, I'm still awake I guess XD. Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas! Thanks for all the reviews last chapter about how emotional it got you. I'll be sure to write a few more of those chapters ;) Anyways, to make up for it, this one'll be a little less depressing, I hope. Enjoy :)

Guest: Thanks! Really wanted to make it that way. And the answer is... :)

Chapter 12: Thanks!

Kurama21: Eh, doesn't really sound like Jaune, does it? XD

Guest 2: Who said anything about unlocking Aura? :3

Guest 3: Wow, you really flatter me. Although, I will have to admit, I didn't realize people without accounts could favorite/follow my story. XD

Jaune hated the mornings after he drank. There was the pounding headache, the urge to never open his eyes again, and the terrible taste of vomit that seemed to linger in his mouth no matter how long he brushed his teeth. It also didn't help to see every member of team RWBY and JNPR standing in front of him, concerned looks on their faces.

He usually never minded the company, but when it was ten in the morning on a weekday while he was having a massive hangover?

Yeah, not something he was a big fan of.

It was nice to know his, what were they? Friends? It was nice to know that his friends cared about him enough to check up on him, but he would've appreciated it more if they had waited until he was a bit more clear headed. Working long enough at the bar helped Jaune pick up a few tricks for curing hangovers, but many of the more effective ones took a little time to make, and when Hunters and Huntresses busted down the doors before Jaune could even open the bar, there wasn't much time for that kind of thing.

So Jaune was left with a tiny malicious man wielding a jackhammer residing in his head, finding the softest parts to drill into. Hand on his face, Jaune continued to try and block out his friends' worried voices and try to find some peace. It didn't happen, seeing as how some of the Huntresses were loud enough that they would never need a bullhorn to be heard.

Finally he cracked, holding out his hands to stop the flow of incoming words. The group shut up, seeing Jaune in pain and casting worried glances at each other, before asking him if he was alright, their voices making a terrible racket even when they were talking in a normal tone of voice.

"Guys, guys! Please. Just. Stop talking." Jaune said hoarsely, his throat hating him for even having to talk. The group could see how much he struggled to function, and realized that they weren't helping very much, sheepishly turning down the concern for him and finding some seats to pull up, ready to patiently wait for as long as possible to make sure that the bartender was alright. Jaune sighed, gathering enough energy to talk quietly.

"I appreciate all of your concern. Really. But I'm fine. Yesterday was... an anniversary of... my family's death. And I got a little out of control. I promise it won't happen again." Jaune said the words carefully, making sure that he chose the appropriate words that would satisfy the crowd in front of him.

It didn't look like it succeeded, most of them looking either suspicious or still worried about him. Jaune sighed in resignation, knowing that nothing he could say would really set their fears aside. Combing his hair back in frustration, Jaune huffed a breath, closing his eyes.

"Okay. How about I promise that if anything like this happens again, I'll make sure to give you guys a call?"

"Really?" Blake asked, skeptical of the promise, crossing her arms.

"Really?!" Nora asked, jumping up excitedly.

"Really?" Ruby asked quietly, eyes wide, making sure that he wasn't lying.

"I don't quite believe that." Weiss said imperiously, sticking her nose in the air.

Again Jaune sighed, simply shrugging and giving up, waving a hand of dismissal to them.

"I don't see why you guys are so worried. I'm fine, and Professor Goodwitch is already going to be keeping a close eye on me." The entrance to his bar swung open, attracting Jaune's attention. "And now if you all could go back to Beacon, I have customers to serve."

Pointedly ignoring his dissatisfied friends, Jaune smiled as warmly as he possibly could through his piercing headache and greeted the girl standing in front of him.

"Welcome. Is there anything you would like?" He asked, pretending not to hear the quiet grumble of how he never treated them that way. The girl slid her sunglasses down and looked up and down at him, expression quizzical.

"I'm sorry, but you're the bartender?"

Jaune nodded, smiling tightly as the group beside him sat there, watching the two exchange words. The brunette snorted a little and shook her head, leaning back against her seat.

"Wow. I didn't realize dress standards were so... low."

Jaune glanced down at his wrinkled shirt and vest, his tie slightly askew. Nervously, and very obviously, Jaune tried to straighten up his appearance, making the girl snort derisively again.

"You're going to need a lot more than your hands to make that outfit look good on you." The girl said dismissively. Jaune let out a slow breath, keeping the smile on his face.

"I'm sorry if I look a bit of mess. I've had a rough night. I hope that won't ruin your experience today with me." The girl looked inquisitively at him, her eyes unblinking as she stared into him, considering something that Jaune couldn't give a guess to. Then came a baleful sigh and the girl waved a dismissive hand, looking away from Jaune.

"Yeah whatever. Give me a martini. Dry." The girl leaned back and crossed her legs, ignoring Jaune the moment she finished ordering the drink. The boy nodded and went to prepare the drink, something that didn't take long with such a simple drink. Pushing it towards the girl, Jaune smiled, waiting for her initial reaction. The girl lifted the drink up, giving it a doubtful stare before taking a tentative sip, tasting the drink before judging the boy. The girl's eyebrows slowly went up and more and more of the drink disappeared, before she set it back down, licking her lips as she did so. A moment of silence passed before the girl nodded at Jaune.

"Alright then. Not as bad as I thought." The girl admitted, sliding it back to Jaune, who smiled victoriously at her and went to refill the drink. Jaune turned to the concerned group standing beside them and rolled his eyes, shooing them away with his hands.

"Go. I'll be fine. Promise. Leave before I make you guys leave." Jaune said sternly.

Weiss gave a loud humph and crossed her arms, tilting her head upwards. "And just how are you going to make us leave?" The boy raised a single eyebrow and crossed his arms as well, standing up straight.

"Oh. Well. Maybe I'll just tell everyone about how you secretly sneak Blake's—"

"I think we should depart now." Weiss interrupted abruptly, face turning shockingly red. The others looked at her, then turned their gazes towards Jaune, understanding that it wasn't only Weiss's dirty secrets he had a hold of. Slowly and reluctantly, the group dispersed, filtering out of the bar with scowls and grimaces, letting Jaune win this battle.

When the blonde turned to look at his newest customer, he saw a gleam of respect in her eyes, her chin bobbing up and down as she nodded towards him.

"Not bad at all." She said idly, making Jaune squirm under her gaze. Pushing the second martini towards the girl, Jaune decided to introduce himself.

"My name's Jaune. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said formally, holding out his gloved hand. The girl's fingers slid smoothly into his grip, shaking the hand twice.

"Coco." She said simply. The beret wearing girl kept a hold of his hand for a second longer than necessary before letting go. "Interesting gloves you've got there. A very well known brand, but well worn, used for much longer than I'm guessing you've actually worked here?" Jaune blinked in surprise at how accurate the statement was, nodding as he fixed said gloves.

"Yeah, they were hand-me-downs."

Coco nodded again, tapping her chin. "I see. It's strange. The gloves, I mean." She said, pointing at them. "They most certainly work for bartending, but... they aren't usually the go-to gloves for this kind of job."

Jaune let out a small laugh, hands disappearing under the counter, hiding them from her sight. Not that it mattered to Coco, seeing as how she had plenty of time to look at them earlier. "I didn't realize you were an expert at bartending gloves." The boy joked, sweat forming as Coco continued to pierce into him with her gaze.

"No, you're right. I'm not an expert at bartending gloves. What I am an expert at is Hunter clothing, which coincidentally, is what you seem to be the exact type of gloves that you're wearing. Care to explain?"

"Not really." Jaune said lightly, his smile barely a smile anymore, and more of a grimace. "Now, unless it's against for a civilian to own Hunter clothing, I don't think this subject is up for debate anymore."

Coco raised both her hands up, shrugging carelessly. "Alright then man. No need to get your off-brand boxers in a twist." Jaune flushed and withdrew, muttering something about helping out the other customers. The girl didn't do anything to acknowledge him except lift her glass up to her lips, taking a long sip from the martini. Jaune took that as her silent permission to leave, and he did so, taking care of some of the customers that had meandered in while he was serving Coco.

He had a hard time facing the girl, her stare making it difficult for him to look at her without getting really nervous. Glad that he had created a bit more space between the two of them, Jaune happily took his time making sure that everyone in his bar was satisfied before reluctantly making his way back to her. Standing there, Jaune wasn't sure of what to say, and instead remained silent, hands trying to find something to do, cleaning glasses and the like just to keep the appearance of being busy.

Coco didn't help him at all, simply content in sitting there and enjoying her martini, refusing to do the socially acceptable thing and not stare at the bartender. Finally, Jaune broke, coughing slightly into his sleeve.

"I'm sorry Coco, but can I ask you to stop staring at me? You're making me uncomfortable." Jaune confessed, hoping that she would comply to his demands. The girl continued to stare at him while her gloved fingertips tapped at her glass, before drawing in a breath to speak.

"Okay. I'll stop staring at you if you answer my question." She offered, her tone serious. Jaune wasn't sure he wanted to answer any question that she was going to ask, but decided that it would be better than having to endure her soul searching gazes for who knows how long. Jaune nodded slowly, waiting for her to ask the question.

"Where did you get those gloves from?" The tone was quiet, deadly, and Jaune could feel that there was an undertone of danger that he could detect, but wasn't sure why he felt it. He decided not to lie and answer her truthfully, his voice shaking slightly as he answered.

"They were, uh, they were my dad's." Jaune answered back just as quietly as before, hands nervously tapping the counter in front of him. "He used to be a Hunter and... well." Jaune wasn't sure how he wanted to end that sentence, deciding to simply shrug and hope that would be enough to make Coco happy.

It wasn't.

"What's your name?" She asked, eyes still boring into him. Jaune frowned, not understanding what she was trying to ask.

"Jaune."

"And your last name?" Coco said, leaning forward a little. Jaune shivered, but his spine turned to steel, eyes hardening at the question.

"Just Jaune." He said firmly, not afraid to lean forward towards the girl as well. Before Jaune could react, Coco snarled, hands reaching over and grabbing onto his vest, pulling him forward.

"What is your last name?" She hissed, her mouth almost touching his nose. Jaune wasn't going to have any of it though, and grabbed her hands as well, glaring back at her.

"I don't think you're thinking this through." Jaune said as calmly as he possibly could, tilting his head towards the room behind her. Coco tilted her head around and saw several of the patrons out of their seats, scowls on their faces as they saw Jaune being threatened. For the first time since she walked in here, the brunette girl hesitated, not wanting to fight innocent civilians, even if she was sure that she could beat them all without much trouble. Deciding that it wasn't worth the trouble, Coco let go, angrily shoving Jaune backwards, sending him stumbling backwards, flailing to try and find some footing.

The crowd that formed surged forward, ready to forcibly eject Coco out of the premises before Jaune held up a hand, stopping them in their tracks. With another small gesture, Jaune sent them back to their tables, although none of them really took their eyes off of the girl sitting in front of Jaune, unperturbed.

"That's quite some loyalty you've got there." Coco said evenly, looking at the fallen Jaune over her sunglasses. The bartender straightened himself up, his mind clearing up as the adrenaline of the exchange with Coco banished the last vestiges of his hangover for the moment.

"Thank you." Jaune replied back just as evenly, nodding to her. There was an understanding between the two of them, having metaphorically flexed their muscles to each other, making sure that the other knew that they wouldn't back down from the provocation.

There was a bit of silence as Coco drank her martini again, and Jaune mentally realigned himself, straightening out his clothes a little more and glancing at the mirrored shelf behind him, trying to check if he was presentable enough.

"Better." Came the reply from Coco, to which Jaune nodded gratefully, happy that he was falling back into the bartending routine.

The was a notable sigh from Jaune, who broke the ice between the two of them, asking, "Why did you want to know about my... name?"

The girl lifted her head, her sunglasses reflecting the dim bar lights. Her fingers tapped against the wood slowly, rhythmically as she considered the question.

"When I was younger, I was saved by a man. Wore the worst clothes I had ever seen a guy wear. Like a pair of ratty jeans and a hoodie or something. Looked absolutely stupid." Coco said, waving her hand. "But his gloves were... exquisite. A little worn but... wonderfully made." She pointed to Jaune's hands, which twitched involuntarily. "The same gloves you seem to be wearing right now."

She put her hand down, lifting her drink back up to her lips before holding it out, showing that it was empty. Jaune took the glass from her hands and started to make another.

"That's... quite the story," Jaune allowed, before adding, "but are you sure that these are the same gloves? I mean, it's not like these are one of a kind." Coco nodding, knowing that Jaune was telling the truth.

"Yes, there are probably tons of those gloves. But I don't think every single one of them would have a deep cut on the left palm that came from a boarbatusk."

Jaune lifted his hand, looking at his gloves. Coco didn't need to point out the mark, simply waiting for the bartender to say something. Instead, Jaune let out a breath and finished Coco's martini, sliding it towards her. She took it, but didn't drink, waiting patiently for the boy to say something.

"That was probably my dad." Jaune said quietly. Coco waited a little while longer, but Jaune didn't say anything else, simply standing there and staring off to the side.

"Well. Do you have a way to contact him?" Coco asked, her tone slightly eager. "I never got to thank him for saving me... and he was one of the reasons why I became a Huntress." The girl added, shrugging nonchalantly. Jaune stayed silent, fingers still for once as he listened to her. The silence told more to Coco than Jaune would have thought, as she blinked once and frowned, letting out a quiet 'oh'.

"He's... dead, isn't he?" Coco said falteringly. Jaune's fingers gripped the countertop as he nodded stiffly, not meeting her eyes when he did so.

Silence seemed to be the predominant mood of communication this evening, as the two of them fell into it again, not speaking as their thoughts wandered.

Jaune's dad was a great hunter, Jaune recalled. He wasn't home very often, but the days that he was, he wasn't a Hunter in Jaune's eyes. He was a father. The two of them rarely spoke of Nicholas's duties, instead focusing on tales of grandeur, and the occasional snippet of advice from his father that wasn't always helpful in life, like 'be confident'.

The blonde bartender had a strong resemblance to his father. If he had grown out a beard, filled out a bit more, and carried himself confidently, most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

Jaune also remembered running away, watching his dad frantically push him through the gates as he fought of a pack of Beowulfs at the same time. Jaune could remember the determination in his dad's eyes, ready to lay down his life to protect his family. Well...

One out of eight children surviving wasn't a bad score, right?

Jaune let out a breath and opened his eyes, looking at the girl in front of him.

"Please," Jaune said quietly, his tone pleading. His voice made it hard for Coco to ignore him. "Please don't tell anyone about this." Whether he was talking about how she knew his dad or that his dad was dead, the girl wasn't completely sure, but she nodded nevertheless.

This wasn't something that she should be sticking her nose in anyways.

"Thank you." Jaune whispered, smiling genuinely towards her. The girl waved the boy aside, thinking nothing of it.

"Go take care of your other customers," Coco said, shooing him away. "I'm good here for now." The bartender nodded gratefully, and after double checking and making another martini for the girl, he departed to the other tables, laughing and serving the other guests, reassuring them that he was alright.

Coco continued to look at the boy, a little more subtly this time, profiling him silently. He carried himself quietly, if that was a way to describe him. He walked self-consciously, as if trying his best to reduce the space that he occupied. He had been hurt badly, Coco gathered, and was still trying to recover from it.

Jaune wasn't really thinking anything, actually trying his hardest not to think, keeping himself busy with anything and everything around his bar. Bringing up his dad after such a rough night yesterday wasn't going to be very productive for him, and as much as he enjoyed falling into a comatose state of grief, he'd rather try and move on through the pain.

As he finished refilling the last of his customer's drinks, he heard a soft whisper, something that made him turn his head a little.

"—une."

He didn't see anything when he turned, and so assumed that one of the patrons had called out his name. With that in mind, he made an extra round around the tables and checked up on the people there, making sure that they had everything they needed.

"Jaune."

Again the word seemed to be whispered in his ear, causing him to jerk in surprise and accidentally spill his latest drink onto a man, causing him to curse in a knee-jerk response. Jaune apologized profusely, and offered a free drink, even though the man insisted it was fine. Finishing up over there though, Jaune made his way back behind his counter, looking uncertainly at the girl sitting in front of him. He stood there staring at her without saying a word, to the point where she let an eyebrow rise in curiosity.

"What?"

"... You didn't... call out for me, did you?" Jaune asked.

"No." She replied back, her face confused. "I'm pretty sure if I called out to you, you definitely would've noticed."

"Right." Jaune replied, laughing uneasily. "Right, sorry."

Coco continued to stare at the boy, trying to decipher him. There was something that she couldn't quite figure out about him, something that set out her Huntress 'danger' radar, but didn't make her hair stand on end either.

Letting out a slow breath, Coco gestured at Jaune, telling him to come closer. Coco whispered into his ear, her warm breath making the boy blush a little.

"I know you might be hurting. And I'm sure you've got a few friends who would be more than willing to help you out. But if you ever need someone who won't judge you... well." Coco straightened back up again, causing Jaune to tilt up his head to continue looking at her.

"Well, the drinks and company here are pretty good to come back for." Coco said in her normal volume, winking over her sunglasses before finishing up the last bit of her martini, pulling out some lien from her purse. Placing the bill's worth of drinks, along with a handy bit more as the tip, she stood up.

"There's a bit extra in there. Maybe use that to get something that fits you a bit better. Appearances are kind of important in this businesses after all."

This time it was Jaune's turn to raise an eyebrow, smirking at the girl. "Thanks. I'm sure I can find a good replacement for these gloves then." Jaune wiggled his fingers slightly, making Coco snort in amusement.

"Actually, the gloves are fine." She said, waving her hand. "It's the person attached to it that needs a bit of fixing up." Before Jaune could snark back at her, Coco turned around, waving her fingers as she departed. "Ta-ta!"

As the door closed shut with a click, Jaune closed his mouth, shaking his head in amusement. His clients seemed to just get weirder and weirder.