A/N: Busy busy week, and I decide to procrastinate my writing. Sorry. Sigh. I'm going off the deep end I swear. There's not much to say right now. Hopefully if anyone here thinks things are going slowly well… maybe that'll change up soon. :) I also apologize for the title. I just… couldn't help myself.

Or not! Who knows? XD Anyways, hope y'all enjoy.

P.S. Sorry for the ship sinking! (Not sorry)

That guy: What? Course she is. Puh lease. And thanks :)

Guest: No. Jaune never weighs the decisions he makes. XD

Competitors usually don't visit other competitors' stores, especially if they were at odds with one another. Hei Xiong stepped in through the front door of the establishment as Jaune had just finished mopping up one of the tables, a family of seven that had decided to feed the table their food instead of themselves. Didn't even leave a tip or an apology note, Jaune had muttered to himself repeatedly countless of times while he was cleaning the place up, already in a foul mood.

Looking up and seeing the sunglasses of the thuggish man didn't help Jaune's mood any, and the blond called out for Scarlet, not wanting to deal with any more trouble for the rest of the day.

"Scarlet, you've got a customer. Give him something to drink that'll actually taste decent. He needs something to compare to what he's got." Or maybe as Jaune grew more irritable, he found himself finding more trouble.

The bearded man growled, stepping forwards and crossing his arms, looking at the boy with a menacing glare. Jaune stared levelly back at him, quirking his lips.

"You know, a death glare would help if I could actually see your eyes."

The was the sound of metal being pulled out from somewhere, and two girls stepped out from behind the tall man, both of them giving identical, analytical stares at the waiter in front of them.

"Militia, this boy thinks he has a sense of humor." The one in white said, her heels clicking loudly against the floor. Her sister put one of her clawed hands up towards her face, one of the blades sliding slowly across her cheek.

"Yes, I heard. It's a pity, don't you think?"

"It is," Melanie nodded, a look of pity on her face. "Such a sweet boy having such a terrible sense of humor. One of the few flaws that make him so imperfect. Maybe we should teach him a few points in good manners, sister? Maybe instill some respect towards people more… what's the word?"

"Dangerous." Militia filled in, taking another step forwards. "You should be careful around people who could take you down a peg or five, blondie."

Jaune didn't back down, hardly caring about the weapons that the twins were holding against him. The blond instead just casually leaned against the table that he had just cleaned, crossing his arms as he kept his gaze on the three thugs in front of him. "I usually am pretty careful around people like that. When I see them." Jaune added, shrugging disdainfully at the two.

The tension only seemed to rise as the two girls scowled, stances lowering themselves to an almost dangerous position, ready to spring and tear the boy apart at any moment.

A loud bang interrupted their face off, a bullet flying through the air and cutting the room in half between where Jaune and the twins were standing, breaking the tension as Scarlet stood there with his flintlock pistol, a surprised look on his face.

"Oh wow. Can't believe my gun would just misfire like that. You know how these old things are sometimes," The bartender laughed, the smile on his face fake and his eyes refusing to budge from the Malachite Twins, his other hand resting on his cutlass.

The posing fell off as the man known as Junior clapped his hands once, causing his company to turn in confusion, wondering what that was all about.

"Alright, settle down girls." The grizzly bear of a man said, pointing to a table. "We're not here to cause any trouble. This time." He added, shrugging at Jaune's pointed look.

"What are you here for then?" Jaune challenged, not letting up. Competitors don't walk into other competitors stores without good reason, especially if it's the infamous Junior Xiong. The blond would rather bet money on fighting another Beowulf than the fact that Hei was here for just a drink.

"I'm here for a lot of things, kid." The man answered back gruffly, settling down at the table that the twins had occupied. "But most of the stuff is sort of personal so maybe your little friend could back off and give us some space, hm?" Hei pointed at Scarlet, who frowned at the man, making sure to deliberately reload in front of the bearded man.

"Personal?" Jaune pointed at himself. "I'm guessing I've got something to do with this?"

"Boy, you've got everything to do with this." Hei lifted up his sunglasses and put them away, his eyes boring into Jaune. The waiter, crossed his arms, shaking his head. This hadn't been the first time Jaune had been propositioned to by the bar owner.

"I told you, I'm not telling you anything about my drink. End of story." Jaune said firmly. A gloved hand waved in the air dismissively though, Junior shaking his head.

"That's not what I'm here for." Junior paused, before adding, "Although if you ever change your mind…"

"No." Came Jaune's answer, as adamant as before. Junior huffed a breath, letting go of the topic.

"Fine. That's not what's important right now." Junior pointed at Jaune. "What's important is how much attention you've been getting in the underworld." Jaune looked at the man in disbelief.

"I am?" Jaune asked. "Why?"

"Don't play dumb, Jaune." The man said. "You know exactly why."

The blonde frowned, thinking back to the conversation that he had with Roman. "Just because I speak with Roman doesn't mean I'm 'attracting attention'. This isn't the first time he's come by here."

"I wasn't just talking about Roman." Junior said, shaking his head. "Although him taking an interest in you is bad enough as it is."

"Then who are you talking about? Better yet, why're you telling me?" Jaune pursed his lips, narrowing his eyes at the man. "We aren't close Junior, and I know you would be overjoyed to see this place go down in flames." The man snorted, rolling his eyes.

"Let's not be overdramatic here," The man said, "I'd be fine if you guys just closed down, or decided to move a little further away. Like the next city over, further away." Hei held up his hand, stopping Jaune from snarking back at the him. "I'm telling you this as a warning. And… to make you consider my offer."

"Your offer?" Jaune asked, unable to remember what or when Junior had offered him anything.

"My offer." The man said, nodding. The hulking man leaned forward, looking at Jaune seriously, making the boy's spine tingle. "I'm saying that you should come work for me." The man said softly, holding out his hands. "I can offer you protection. A sense of stability. And," Junior added, lifting up a finger. "I could get you to be a bartender again. You're not fit for waiting tables, Jaune. As much as a hate to admit it, you're one of the best talents in bartending I've ever seen, and behind the counter is where you belong. Not… here, cleaning up after people's messes."

Jaune didn't move, looking at the man, his expression a smooth as a cleaned table, the man on the other side unable to glean anything. Seeing the boy like that, Junior decided to continue talking, assuming that the blond wouldn't be saying anything anytime soon.

"I could tell from the first second when I walked in that you didn't want to be doing this." Junior said, rapping his knuckles against the wood. "And I've seen and heard how happy you are when you're making and serving drinks. It should be a crime benching you from bartending."

Still the boy didn't say anything, his gaze straight, but not looking at Hei, rather staring straight past him, the waiter's mind in turmoil.

As much as Jaune didn't want to admit it, Junior was right. He didn't know how much he loved bartending, but now that it was taken out of his hands, he missed it. He missed the ease of making drinks, the appreciation that everyone displayed, and the small talk he always had time for when he was taking care of the people ordering. It was fun, and more meaningful than the hectic work of being a waiter, where the best Jaune could do was five or ten minutes of talking before he took their order. The rest of the time was worse, Jaune practically clueless on the needs of the customer as time went by. With bartending it was easy. Send me drinks and keep them coming. With a table, Jaune never knew if the person needed a refill, or wanted to order dessert or another side, or just wanted the bill. Jaune had less control over everything, and that just felt like he wasn't able to meet the needs of the customers to their satisfaction.

It was harrowing for the blond.

The offer of getting reinstated back as a bartender? It was tempting. Hell, it made Jaune's mouth dry, his heart beat a little faster at the temptation. The small, pitiful part of his brain loved the inner turmoil, whispering incessantly into his ears.

Take the offer. What's the harm? After all, you're just moving a few blocks away. You'll have 'protection', your bartending job back… and these two lovely ladies in front of you.

Jaune snorted internally at the last bit, his eyes flickering towards the white and red duo, who were looking at their nails disinterestedly. Their mask cracked a little when the two of them looked up, clearly curious about what was happening before snapping back to examining their fingers, catching Jaune watching them.

No one would really complain, right? After all, everyone was worried that he would relapse into drinking again, not working as a bartender. Jaune just had to make sure that he didn't drink anymore. That's all. Blue eyes trailed over to Junior, who sat there patiently, waiting for Jaune's reply.

Jaune had heard stories about the man. He was ruthless as a business man, but protected his own. If Jaune was to go under the man's wing…

He'd probably be safer than out here, in a job that he hated. And with the man's relaxed sense of morals, he probably wouldn't even mind if Jaune decided to have a drink or two while on the job. Dust, the man would probably encourage it.

He missed drinking.

True, it was something harmful, and it hurt more people than himself when Jaune drank, but he missed it. There was a comfort in drinking that Jaune had a hard time finding anywhere else, especially when he was alone. It helped him limp along when he was reminded of the past, and it was a crutch that helped him smile when he felt like crawling into his bed and never waking up. Even the mornings after were something to be missed, the hangovers he got brief, but effective in waking him up and distracting him of his empty apartment. It was something to do, Jaune guessed, because he never really took the time to do anything else.

The slightest movement to the left of him made Jaune turn his head a little, eyes widening as the image he saw faded away.

His mother stood there, frowning before fading away. She hadn't been looking at Jaune though, instead looking at the three in front of him, a stern look on her face before she disappeared.

Whether or not that was his imagination, it was enough to snap Jaune out of his daze, and the bigger part in his mind started speaking, reminding him of the bad that would come out of joining Hei.

And let's face it, Glynda would eviscerate him if she knew he was even thinking about drinking again.

Joining Junior would be betraying Glynda, and that was probably the last thing he would ever want to do. His chest grew a little warm as he remembered the few nights ago when the professor had come to his rescue, and had decided to stay for a little while to keep him company. He remembered how hesitant she had been, her face turning red when she said that she was proud of him for trying to grow and improve, and could almost feel the warmth of the hug that she had wrapped him in before she left.

She cared about him, like he cared about her. Like he cared about everyone else, and they cared about him.

"I'm sorry." Jaune said hoarsely, shaking his head. "Thank you… for the offer. But I'd like to stay here." With everyone.

The man sitting in front of him stiffened. "Did I not make myself clear?" The man asked, not angry, actually confused, wondering why Jaune would refuse an offer like his. "You will be in danger, sooner or later, if you stay here. No one will protect you when the time comes."

"No." Jaune said firmly, looking at Junior. "My friends will protect me."

The man scowled and roughly pushed himself out of his chair, standing up. "Fine." The man said gruffly, turning towards the door. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"Junior."

The man stopped for a brief second, but didn't turn around. Juane looked at the man's large back, fingers tapping gently on the table.

"Thank you. For the warning."

The man scoffed, taking out his sunglasses and putting them over his eyes. "I'm not doing this for you, kid. It'd be a shame if you died and we lost that Hunter's drink of yours though. Maybe one day I'll get it out of you before I blow you to pieces or something."

Jaune smiled, nodding even though the man couldn't see him. "Maybe someday."

The blond continued to watch as Hei disappeared from his sight, the door swinging shut before the waiter realized that the man had forgotten to take something with him.

"So, you gonna serve us, or what?" Melanie asked, head resting lazily on her hand, her sister tracing and almost carving patterns into the table with her claws. Jaune frowned at that and reached out, grabbing one of the blades with his gloved hands.

"Don't do that with the tables. They're busted up as it is." Jaune protested, keeping a tight grip on the claw. Militia raised an eyebrow at the balls Jaune was showing, grabbing onto her razor sharp claws without a thought. She listened though, pulling back gently and putting her hands on her lap.

"The way I see it, I was doing you a favor anyways." The girl clad in red said, tossing her hair. "It's about time you get some new tables in this rickety old bar."

"It helps with the homely feeling." Jaune said defensively, before pulling out a pen and pad, pressing the end with a click. "What'll you be having?"

The two girls listed off their orders, this not being the first time they've walked into the establishment, threatened Jaune and ordered food from the bar. Jaune nodded, standing up and going into the kitchens, calling out the orders. In between the time it took to call out the twins' order and make it, the waiter stopped at all the other tables, refilling where needed, removing plates whenever demanded, and handing bills to the people who were either finishing up or ordering dessert.

That wasn't to say it was a smooth or easy experience, Jaune messing up once or twice, bringing the refills to the wrong tables, almost charging people for things they didn't order. All in all though, it was a regular trek for Jaune, who finally lifted up the tray for the Malachite twins, placing their meals in front of them.

"Mm. Your food here is as good as always, unlike the quality of your cocktails." Jaune looked at the dainty drinks that Militia had pointed to, apparently having ordered them while Jaune had been busy with other customers.

Militia had ordered a Cosmopolitan, which just by look was a little too red for Jaune's taste, Scarlet probably putting too much cranberry juice in, tilting the drink over to being too sour for the girl's taste. On the other girl's side was a Piña Colada, which judging by the smell (or lack thereof) more than likely meant that the bartender hadn't mixed the drink well enough, or put enough pineapple to give the drink its proper taste.

"He's new," Jaune said wearily, having felt as if he had said the words a thousand times since yesterday. "Give him time. He'll get better."

The girl made a doubtful noise, tracing her finger against the rim of the glass. "I have the strangest feeling it just won't be enough."

It won't be, Jaune thought to himself. Scarlet was a hard worker, but he didn't put every ounce of effort into making those drinks. There was a dedication to the craft that he lacked, and it would always show in his drinks, at least until the boy found a proper reason why he would need or want to invest all his time in perfecting the craft.

And to be honest, why would he? Scarlet was here because he needed the part-time work, not because he wanted to be a bartender for the rest of his life. Hell, he was a Huntsman in training, why would he lower himself to being a bartender when he had a choice to become a hero?

"If you're unsatisfied with your drinks, we can always remake them for you, on the house." Jaune said stiffly, clasping his hands behind his back to hide his clenched fists.

Both of them looked at each other, before they looked at Jaune, shaking their heads in unision.

"No. We don't think so." Jaune relaxed as the white one replied. "Just take them back."

"Take… them back?" Jaune repeated, not quite understanding. Melanie leaned on the table, her gaze boring into him.

"Yes. Take them back. We don't want to drink them anymore, so take them back." The girl said slowly, as if she was explaining something to a particularly slow child. Jaune flushed in embarrassment and grabbed the drinks.

"I'm sorry they weren't up to your standards." Jaune muttered, walking into the kitchens. Normally he was supposed to bring them up to Scarlet but…

Jaune had seen how hard the red-haired boy had worked, and he took pride in learning every drink the blond had taught him, happy to improve even a little.

Seeing the near full glasses being sent back would devastate the boy.

Jaune poured the drinks out and washed the glasses himself, giving him some time to clear his mind, and the unnecessary anger that was rising up into his throat. The twins had a right to complain and send back their orders of course. They were customers. They weren't in the wrong here, even if they could've been a little more polite when they said so.

Still, it took a lot of effort for the boy not to slam the glasses into the air dryer, having to take a few deep breaths to even out his anger.

The rest of the morning passed by a lot more smoothly after Jaune managed to get the two twins to leave without attacking them. As with most mornings at the bar, there weren't that many customers. In fact, Jaune called Scarlet to go out and grab a bite to eat, no one ordering a drink again after the Malachite twins.

The door clicking closed as Scarlet left, Jaune looked around the empty room, the ceiling fans and Jaune the only thing moving.

The boy sat down and pulled out his scroll, thumbing the screen to pull up his contacts list, which was a lot longer than he had ever expected it to be. He was given it less than a day after he had been discharged from the hospital, Professor Goodwitch insisting on giving it him. She had been the first one to add her number to Jaune's scroll, and it wasn't much longer before the rest of his friends showed up and put their info in as well, each one of their names personalized to their desires.

Jaune still smiled when he went past Greatest and Most Awesomest Friend ever, Yang's contact, as well as Queen of the Castle, which was Nora's. He stopped over Professor Goodwitch's number, the contact shining as Glynda Goodwitch, something she had been urging Jaune to call her as he wasn't really one of her students.

The teacher picked up almost faster than Jaune had let go of the call button, as if she had been waiting for Jaune to call her.

"Jaune? Is everything alright? Are you in trouble?" It was funny how that was the first words the Professor said every time he called.

"No, I'm alright," Jaune said, laughing a little. He sat down on one of his bar stools, kicking his legs back and forth. "I just... I just wanted to... talk. Is that alright?" He got quieter and quieter as he continued talking, feeling awkward about the request. There was brief silence across the line before the professor spoke again.

"Yes. That's... that's fine." Jaune crinkled his brow, pretty sure that he heard her choking on her words a little as she talked. Her next words were more composed, as she said, "How was your day?"

"It was alright," Jaune replied back, happy to have someone to talk to. The two of them went back and forth in detailing their days, moaning and groaning about the little things, like Scarlet messing up a drink or trying to round up one of Professor Port's recent 'acquisitions'. All throughout their mundane chatter, Jaune felt warmth flowing through his chest, as if someone dropped a smoldering coal into some water, a cool bubbly feeling rising through him.

It didn't take long for Jaune to realize what the feeling was. It had been a while since Jaune had talked so freely to someone, finding someone to confide in his everyday worries and troubles, and someone who listened and didn't do anything to solve it, but instead lent their quiet support by complaining back at him.

The more Jaune talked with Professor Glynda the more he felt at ease, as if talking to an older sister... or his mother.

The ache that usually thrust into his heart when he thought about his deceased parents... was still there, but it felt a little duller, the pain ebbing away a little faster.

"Are you alright Jaune?"

The question snapped the boy out of his brief reverie, looking back into the scroll. Somewhere along the lines as they were talking Jaune and Glynda had decided to toggle on their face cams, making it easier for the both of them to gauge each other's reactions. Jaune saw the worry on the blonde teacher's face, and couldn't help but smile a little, strangely glad to see it.

"Yeah, just... thinking." He answered back. The woman peered over her glasses, looking for something. When she found it, she smiled, a genuine, erasing some of the lines on her face and making her look radiant.

"What are you thinking about, Jaune?" She asked. The boy looked at her, and thought. Thought about how she always worried about him, was always willing to entertain him when he wanted to talk. She took care of him, something that she didn't ever really need to do, but put it on herself to do anyways.

"You remind me of my mother." Jaune said softly, the words slipping out before he could control himself. He widened his eyes in panic, not meaning to say those words out loud and risk chasing the woman away, the surprised look on her face not helping the situation. Before the waiter could make up an excuse to hang up and torture himself by recalling the slip of the tongue, Glynda smiled tentatively.

"I would be honored to be your mother." She answered back just as quietly, making Jaune's heart pound. He felt soft of lightheaded, his fingers a little numb, and he wasn't sure if it was because his heart was going a mile a minute or if it was just because he was so damn happy.

"Thank you." Jaune croaked out, brushing a droplet of water that had hit his scroll screen. Looking up, he found no leak, and didn't realize that he had been crying until he looked back down again, finding a few more droplets fall from his face.

Even the motherly witch had a few tears in her eyes, but found the composure to wipe them away, not wanting to make Jaune cry any harder.

And he didn't cry any harder, quickly wiping away the tears, smiling shakily at her.

And all was well, until a hand reached over Professor Goodwitch's shoulder, bringing her around. Professor Ozpin stood there, urgent expression on his face.

"Glynda, we need to mobilize the Huntsman now."

Snapped out of the quiet moment that the two of them had, the blonde witch looked at the Headmaster incredulously, eyes wide.

"What? Why? What happened?"

Even on the scroll Jaune could see the headmaster's grim look, the way he tightened his grip on the huntress's shoulders.

"The seal from Mountain Glenn has been breached."

"The Grimm are in the city."