Here's the next chapter of Entertainer. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 23

It took a few seconds for his mind to process the information, and when it did, he paused to think for a few more. "Gone?" he said. "What do you mean she's gone!?"

"Not there," Blake said. "Gone, missing – I couldn't find her at all."

This couldn't be happening. Jaune's hands clenched into fists as he looked about, as though he might spot his partner by the bar or fighting her way back to the table. She wasn't, of course. Blake would have found her if that was the case. He moved away but paused as Yang's hand gripped his shoulder.

"Calm down," she said. "We all need to calm down. Blake, are you sure she wasn't there? Maybe she was just in one of the cubicles."

"They were all empty. I checked each one."

"Maybe she got lost, then. We can't just assume the worst." Yang sighed and looked around. Despite her demeanour, it was clear she was worried as well. "Blake, do you remember where the main entrance was?" She looked to the faunus, who nodded her head after a second's thought. "Good. I need you to hang around there and make sure Pyrrha doesn't leave. If she can't find us, there's a good chance she'll try and head back to Beacon. Whether she's drunk or not, I think we'd rather her not do that on her own."

Blake nodded her head and didn't want for anything more to be said. She pushed through them and began working her way through the crowd. Yang turned to him with a forced smile.

"I'll do the rounds of the women's toilets," she said. "There's a chance she just took my directions wrong or it was too busy and she went to look for another. You should-"

"I'll talk to the bouncers," he interrupted. "I can pass her description on and they'll tell me if they find her." It was the best he could do, and Yang nodded her head once he'd finished. She clapped a hand against his arm and rushed off to search the bathrooms.

"Keep your scroll out," she called before she left. "Contact me if you find her."

He nodded in return, but pushed in the opposite direction from the bar once she'd left. He doubted she'd go for another drink in her state, and doubted anyone would serve her if she did. Chances were, she'd find somewhere to sit down – or somewhere to throw up. He hoped Yang would find his partner clinging to a toilet rim. He hoped they didn't find her in a worse state.

It didn't help that the guilt reared up in his stomach, to tug at his heart and make him curse his own stupidity. Pyrrha was his friend, his partner, and she'd relied on him to look after her – whether she admitted it or not. He knew she was new to clubbing, and no doubt heavy drink as well. He should have been looking after her… instead, he'd spent his time wallowing in self-pity and trying to avoid her affection for him. What kind of partner was he? His teeth ground together as he pushed himself up the steps, taking two at a time. The doorman at the VIP area didn't have the time to question his presence. He barely had the time to widen his eyes before Jaune burst through.

The music was lower, softer. There was a show taking place on the stage, two scantily-clad women who lithely danced around a pole together, each using as balance for their athletic tricks. One unclasped the others bra, and the crowd gasped as it fell free. Jaune barely paid attention. His eyes scanned it in an instant, but then moved over the crowd. Black, brown, blonde and grey – but the closest to a redhead was a middle-aged woman with ginger hair. None matched the crimson tresses Pyrrha wore so proudly. He pushed past and over to the bar, gesturing for the girl behind it to move closer. He recognised her from a few times they'd worked together.

"Hey Jaune, what's-"

"Rachel, I need you to pass a message on for me." He slammed his scroll down on the bar and flicked to an image of Pyrrha. "This is my partner from Beacon. She's drunk, somewhere in the club, and lost. I need you to pass her image on to every bouncer on shift tonight, and whoever is manning the main doors too." He paused. "I want the back exits watched too. I'm not sure if she's drunk enough to spring a fire exit."

"Ah, uh, sure…" Rachel must have sensed his urgency, for she quickly picked up the scroll and held it before her, messaging the image to her own. "I'll have it done as soon as I can. What do you want us to do if we find her?"

"Tell them to bring her somewhere safe, one of the private rooms or a staff area if need be. Make sure they mention my name to her, say that I'm looking for her – but make sure she doesn't leave the club on her own."

"I'll pass it on," she said. "I'll keep an eye out here, but I doubt she'd get past Simon on the door."

She was right. The thought did cross his mind, but even if Pyrrha found this area, it wouldn't make much of a difference. The rumour-mill already said the Oyster had a strip club in it, but so long as his work here wasn't found out, it wouldn't make a difference if his partner got an eye-full or not. It would be awkward, but better than the alternative. "I'll talk to him," Jaune said. "Maybe it would be best if he did let her in. It's safer for her here, at least."

"Whatever you think is best." Rachel handed his scroll back to him, then drew out her own and pulled it to her ear. She mimed a motion for him to head off, and he nodded. As he rushed back to the door, he could hear her talking to the head bouncer on shift. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or not, but if there was one thing he trusted, it was the people who worked here. They wouldn't slack off, and they'd drag her aside the moment they saw her.

It will be fine, he told himself. I need to stop panicking and start thinking. I can't just assume the worst because something went wrong. Pyrrha's a strong girl, stronger than me. It's not like anyone could mug her, even if she is under the influence. Jaune sent back a quick wave to Rachel, a last moment to make sure Pyrrha wasn't among those in the VIP room, before he pushed out of the door and into the corridor.

Straight into Yang.

She bounced off his chest and staggered back, but she was as shocked as he when their eyes met. "Jaune," she gasped, and then panicked when she realised where they'd met. "What are you doing here?"

"Passing that message onto the bouncers," he said. "What about you?"

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but quickly froze. He cursed too, suddenly reminded why she looked so afraid. Damn it, he'd forgotten with the panic over Pyrrha, but he wasn't supposed to know about her and the VIP section, in the same way she wasn't supposed to know about it either. She swallowed and looked to the side.

"I checked all the bathrooms on the first two floors. I-I figured there would be one in here too."

There was, she knew that – and that was probably the reason why she'd headed here without thinking about it. Well, that or she'd worried Pyrrha might discover the place. Either way, he smiled and pretended he believed her excuse. "She's not in there," he said, "I checked. This is the VIP area. She wouldn't have been allowed in here, you either."

Simon, the doorman, made to speak, but stayed silent when Jaune shot him a meaningful stare. The poor guy looked confused, but shrugged his shoulders and did his best to ignore the drama.

"Oh, I didn't realise," Yang lied. She giggled and brushed some hair back over her shoulder. "I guess that would have been embarrassing. You said you already got all the staff on board?"

Jaune nodded and wrapped a loose arm around Yang's shoulder, turning and leading her away from the room. "One of the waiters in there is going to pass the message on," he said. "Bouncers and doormen will keep an eye out for her, and move her to a safe area if they spot her."

"Okay, good. I… I didn't even realise that was a reserved area."

"I know you didn't, Yang." He smiled at her, and breathed his own sigh of relief when her shoulders sagged. She thought she'd tricked him, no doubt, but this was one case where he desperately wanted to be fooled. There were more important matters than that, however. "If you check the bathrooms above, I'll go and watch the dance floors," he said. "I can access some observer areas where the technicians work. It will give me a bird's eye view and Pyrrha's hair is distinctive enough."

"Have you tried calling her?" Yang asked. He nodded.

"She isn't answering and my messages have gone ignored." He glanced down at his scroll once more, just to see if the status quo had changed. It hadn't. Yang bumped her hip against his and shot him a nervous smile.

"We are in a club, Jaune. There's a chance she didn't hear it go off. I've lost count of the number of worried calls from my dad I missed because of loud music."

He nodded, a little calmer for the explanation. She was right, he was jumping to conclusions. It was probably the guilt more than anything, taking control of his thoughts as it twisted them to the worst-case scenario each and every time.

"Thanks, Yang. I'll catch you when we find Pyrrha. Trust me, I'm going to give her a lecture on drinking after this."

"Me too," she laughed. "I'll go and check the-"

Their scrolls blared in unison, the volume audible thanks to the sound-proof corridor they stood within. Their eyes met, both reaching for them at the same time as they saw the message from Blake.

"Front entrance," it read. "Come quickly."

/-/

The two of them made it in good time. She'd all been for charging through the crowd, but he'd dragged her aside and into what he told her was a staff exit. It led into a series of narrow corridors with occasional boxes and supplies stacked against the walls. She followed him closely, hopping down the steps before he pushed open a discrete door and led her out onto the street. It sure beat wading through a hundred or more people.

"Blake said the main entrance," she said.

"It's this way." He ducked to the left and led her out of the alley, the door slamming shut behind them. It took her a second to get her bearings, but she realised he'd brought her out through an exit on the side of the building, and that they were now back by the main road. The queues lined up against the wall ahead spoke of how popular the Oyster was, but it was the congregation to one side that caught their eye. People in the crowd jeered at it, some shouting for people to fight. Jaune waded into it, with her close behind.

"Yang, Jaune," Blake greeted them with clear relief. She was flanked on either side by tall bouncers in black coats that reached down to their knees. They didn't watch her, however, but the sizable group of well-dressed people before them. There were eight or so in total, most between the ages of nineteen and twenty-one, if she had to guess. The age where bravado had yet to give way to common sense and newfound adulthood led to stupid mistakes.

They were making one such mistake right now, for Yang caught the shock of red hair within their group.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune yelled.

"Jaune?" The redhead heard her name being called and leaned away from the man whose side she was hugged against. Pyrrha staggered and almost fell, but the arm around her waist kept her secure. When she saw them, she smiled and held one arm out to wave. "Jaune! Hey… I couldn't find you!" She hiccupped and tried to move over to her partner, but the guy didn't let her. "I was going to go back to Beacon," she said. Pyrrha nodded her head at the guy beside her. "He said he would take me home."

"Did he?" Jaune seethed. He took a step forward, and Blake shot her a panicked look as who she'd expected to be the calmest among them suddenly looked the most bloodthirsty. "That's nice of him," he said, "but I'm here now, so you might as well come home with us."

"Oka- whoah!" Pyrrha's words slurred off as she was pulled back.

"Hey mate, back off," the man beside her jeered. "Hey babe, don't listen to him. We're gonna go home for a little party of our own. You wouldn't want to miss it, would you?"

"A party?" Pyrrha asked. Her words slurred a little. Yang heard Jaune growl like a wild animal. Blake caught it too, for she stepped forward and held out her arms.

"We are trained huntsmen," Blake said. "Release our friend back to us or we'll be forced to take her ourselves. We don't want to resort to violence, but we will." Yang's partner finished with a stern glare towards the apparent leader. Anyone else might have been cowed, but the idiots laughed and cheered.

"Ooh, a huntress," one feigned terror as he backed away. "Bwahaha! Someone as little as you isn't going to pack a punch, girlie."

"I don't know," another said. "I wouldn't mind being hunted by that, if you know what I mean."

"Hell yeah, hey, why not ditch the square and come back with us? There's plenty of booze to go around, not to mention, other benefits." He gripped his crotch for emphasis, earning raucous laughter from his fellows. Yang grimaced, but Blake looked downright disgusted.

"Are they insane?" Blake whispered. "I could take them all on myself, let alone with the three of us here."

"You're expecting intelligence from drunks," Yang sighed. "Who knows, they might be pretty smart guys normally. It doesn't take much to turn some people into suicidal fools."

"Emphasis on the suicidal," Jaune growled. He stepped forward, one hand reaching for a sword that wasn't there. Even without it, Yang knew he was more than capable of accounting for himself against some jumped-up drunks. "I won't warn you again. Let my partner go or I'll come and get her myself."

"You and what army?"

Yang saw the moment where her friend's patience snapped. His eyes became lidded and he took a deep breath, his left foot shifting forward for balance, or to prepare for a devastating blow. She reached out to grip his shoulder, shaking her head once as she strolled past him. Jaune's eyes were wide, but he didn't stop her.

"Come on now," Yang said, smiling her best smile for the benefit of the crowd. "A group of fine men like you don't need to trick some poor girl into this, do you? I'd have thought you'd feel more confident than that."

Her words had the desired effect, in that those in the crowded line nearby suddenly started to pay more attention to Pyrrha, and the way her head swayed back and forth. Her inebriation was obvious, and Yang saw more than a few people look uncomfortable at what was happening. A few others pushed their way to the edge of the queue, clearly willing to dispense some justice if the opportunity revealed itself.

The idiots in front of her were so drunk, they didn't even notice. Well, it was either that or they couldn't take their eyes off her breasts. She fought down her disgust at that. They were perfect examples of the worst kind of men she'd ever had to deal with.

"I'm no rapist!" the man who had hold of Pyrrha yelled. He looked furious, and she wondered for a moment if it was an act, or if he truly believed that.

"You're not," she agreed, "and you won't be, even if you tried."

He didn't seem able to understand what she meant by that, but the meaning was clear to Blake, for she looked at Jaune and snorted. Yeah, good luck on these guys doing a damn thing to Pyrrha while they were around. Heck, if they tried anything, Pyrrha was liable to wise up and deal with them herself. She was drunk and didn't understand what situation she was in, but she was at least able to recognise them.

"But hey, you said there was a party, right?" Yang smiled and tilted her head to one side. Just for effect, she tossed some of her golden hair across her neck. "I like parties. Pyrrha, though? She's not exactly the type, as you can tell from her tolerance. Why don't you boys pass her over to my friend and he can take her home. Then we can all go and party together, eh?"

"Yang!" Jaune hissed. He sounded furious but she waved a hand behind her for him to be still. This would be the easier option by far. All she had to do was get Pyrrha out, play along with these idiots until they were out of sight, then break and make a run for it. It wasn't like they'd be able to keep up with her, or subdue her if they could.

She wasn't a normal girl, after all. They could all have guns and they'd still not be a threat.

"What about your friend?" one asked, looking hungrily at Blake.

"She's off the menu, boys." Yang jerked a hand at Jaune. "That's her boyfriend. Let them take our drunken friend home. C'mon… don't you want to have a party?"

"We could…"

"The redhead does look a little out of it, man…"

That's it, Yang thought as she watched the apparent leader look at his friends in shock. You're not going to get out of this in one piece if you continue. It's best to cut your losses while you still can.

"Why not both?" the guy laughed, showing that alcohol and ego trumped common sense by far. He tightened his arm around Pyrrha's waist and drew her close. "There's plenty of fun to go around, right? Besides, it's not like she's saying no." The others seemed to perk up. Yang frowned.

"Pyrrha," she called. "Do you want to go home with these people or Jaune?"

"Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, a faint slur to her words. "I want to go home with Jaune."

"You heard her," Yang laughed at his angry look. "Me, on the other hand? I'm not saying no at all." She stepped forward, so that she was less than a metre away from the leader. Up close, she could smell his cologne, an overly-powerful scent that seemed to lack the smell of sweat, dust and hard work she'd gotten used to the boys around her having. It made him seem like a painting, all appearance with no sustenance. Yang nodded to Pyrrha. "Make up your mind, handsome. You can try and take her home and fail, or you can let her go and have some fun with a real party girl." She linked her hands behind her back, in a way she knew made her chest draw the eyes. "Your choice~"

He'd made it before she even spoke. He took one look at her, most noticeably below the eyes, and then looked towards Pyrrha, who was undeniably beautiful, but also not at all in her right mind. With a scowl, he pushed her away. The redhead would have fallen, if it weren't for Jaune catching her almost instantly. He drew her back, and Blake took hold of her.

"There," the guy before her said. "You got a name, party-girl?"

"I've got a name," she replied, faintly amused to hear those words repeated once more. She didn't want to trash the Oyster, though, so her response needed to be a little more measured. "How about I tell you it back at yours?" She grinned. "You'll need something to scream."

"Heh, I like your style."

"Yang, what are you doing?" Jaune hissed. She glanced behind to see him stood a few paces back, eyes locked angrily onto her paramour. She winked back at him.

"Take Pyrrha home," she said. "I'll catch up with you all later."

"Yang…" He looked worried. It warmed her heart, but there was no need for it. She sent him a quick smile. Trust me, she mouthed. When she turned back to her new friends, it was to see they'd formed a rough semi-circle around her, many of them looking her up and down as though they'd never seen a woman before. She knew she was beautiful, but this seemed a bit much.

One of them reached out to touch her cheek with a finger. She hid her grimace and tilted her head away coquettishly. The leader slapped the guy's hand away and stepped towards her. His hand reached out, likely to wrap about her waist, but she knew it would also touch her hair. Ugh, she hated the thought of it. Maybe she'd accidentally bump her fist into his head when she made her escape. That would teach him.

She never got the chance.

The man's hand stopped before it could touch her. Jaune gripped it in his hand, and she heard the bones inside creak as he dragged the guy forward. Yang's eyes widened, and she only had the time to flinch as Jaune slammed his fist into the guy's face. He flew back several feet, propelled by Jaune's strength. He rolled over twice and then landed on the pavement. He didn't get up.

"Okay," Yang sighed, "Or we could go for this approach. That's cool. I just thought I'd try and do this diplomatically for a change."

The seven remaining men looked down to their companion, and then over to Jaune, who looked far too pleased with himself. They also looked to her, as she adopted a loose fighting stance. Maybe it was the alcohol - actually, it was definitely the alcohol, because for some reason, they decided attacking en masse would be the best choice.

She could have told them it wasn't.

To call the melee a fight would have done it a disservice, both to them and anyone who'd ever fought before. It was a slow and bizarre thing, in which their opponents hesitated to attack, and then threw sloppy punches when they did. Ruby at eleven could have taken them down, and her sister was a girl who put only the minimum of training time into unarmed combat. For Yang, it wasn't a massacre. A massacre suggested effort. This wasn't even a warm-up.

She stepped lazily out of the way of one punch, caught the man's elbow and lifted it up as she slammed her shoulder into his side. Any huntsman would have been staggered, if even that, but the lout fell down and clutched his side, groaning into a puddle of water. Another one yelled and charged from behind, bringing both hands down atop her head as though he wielded some invisible battle-axe. She considered letting it hit, just to show them how pointless this was, but it might have messed up her hair.

Her hands caught his, instead, and diverted the attack aside as she let go. So certain he'd connect, was he, that she didn't need to do anything more. He swung down and tipped himself off balance, falling forward and tripping a third who seemed unable to even process the idea his friend might be in his way.

"Are we sparring?" Pyrrha slurred, safe in Blake's grip. "I thought we were clubbing? Should I join in?"

"Not worth the effort," Yang replied. She allowed a fist to sail past her face and reached out with one hand to grab the assailant's collar. She tugged it towards her and turned her body, pivoting him over her hip and tossing him to the floor. The crowd cheered and laughed, relieved to have some entertainment after waiting so long in line. The ones who'd looked willing to help clearly realised they didn't need it.

From start to finish, the sorry affair barely lasted two minutes. Jaune brushed some dust off his shoulder and she had the sinking suspicion she'd gotten cheap cologne all over herself, but as for injuries? Yeah, not likely. Yang clapped her hands together and strolled towards Jaune.

"Well, that's that dealt with. Really, though, I thought I was supposed to be the one who starts fights. Here I am trying to finally diffuse one, and you go all barbarian-warrior on me." Her laughter cut short as he whirled on her, eyes still filled with fury.

"What the hell was that?" he snapped.

"Huh?"

"You were going to go with them," he pressed, stepping forward until his chest was pushed up against hers. He glared down at her, even though their heights weren't so different. Her immediate response was to back up, but she squared her shoulders and held her ground instead.

"So?" she asked.

"Do you have any idea how stupid that was? What if they'd done something to you?"

"Like…?"

Jaune's arms shook. He took a deep breath and moved a little closer, but there wasn't any more room between them. She glared back, unwilling to compromise. "They could have taken advantage of you," he growled. "They could have done anything to you. It was a pointless risk. We had no trouble taking them out!"

"Well, excuse me for trying to be responsible for once. You'll forgive me if I thought leaving them embarrassed and alone was better than sprawled out across the street." She gestured to several, who were being ushered to their feet by the bouncers. "Excuse me for thinking you'd have liked to not ruin the night with a stupid fight."

"And ruin it by letting you walk off with these assholes instead!? What if you got hurt?"

"Then I'd be a pretty piss-poor huntress," Yang snorted. "What were they going to do to me, draw a knife? I'd break their arms. Draw a gun? I'd break their arms. Draw a high-intensity dust explosive? Now we're talking, but even then, I'd break their arms. I have aura; I'm not a defenceless civilian who needs to watch herself around idiots like this."

She'd never suggest anyone else do that, of course – but there was a difference between a trained and sober huntress with a pool of aura and a Semblance like hers. Any normal girl, sure – it was a stupid move, but shy of a Grimm invasion, there'd been zero risk here. Even if one turned out to be some super-huntsman in disguise, she could have just run off the moment they were away from the club.

Jaune didn't seem to agree. His teeth ground together so loud she could hear it. "Fine," he snarled. "Fine, be an idiot. See if I care!"

"Why am I the idiot?" Yang asked. He didn't answer. He turned and walked away, taking Pyrrha from Blake and steering her in the direction of where they could call a Bullhead. "Oi," Yang shouted after him. "What, you're just going to walk off and leave it like this?"

The bastard did. He just walked away. Yang spat on the ground, pissed beyond belief.

"What an ass," she growled and looked over to Blake. "I made the right choice, didn't I? You can see there was no danger, right?" Blake sighed but did nod her head.

"Technically speaking, it wasn't the wrong choice. They weren't a threat to you and it would have avoided violence."

Exactly! If Blake agreed, then it had to be so. Yang breathed out heavily through her nose as she tried to reign in her temper. The peanut gallery watching with a mixture of interest and sympathy hardly helped. Why the hell were they looking at her like she needed to be pitied? She'd kicked ass, took names and then been chewed out by her best friend.

"He's wrong," she said. "I don't get why he was so angry. Did he think I was serious or something? It's not like I'd have ever gone with those morons."

"I don't think he thought you were serious, Yang." Blake sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think he was worried about you. I think it hurt him that you'd put yourself at risk in such a way."

Yang's face fell. She felt something burrow into her heart, but ruthlessly killed it. She was not in the mood for nice feelings. The night was ruined, she was angry and now he'd gone and walked off like she was the one in the wrong. "But there wasn't any risk," she said. "I'd get it if there was even a chance of it going wrong, but there wasn't."

"I don't think the probability matters when it comes to worrying about someone you care for."

Yang bit her lip. She wouldn't apologise. She didn't need to.

It wasn't her fault.

She kicked at a puddle beneath her.

"This night sucked."

/-/

His emotions were still in turmoil by the time the two of them made it back to Beacon. It was like a storm within his head, and no matter how hard he tried to push it aside, he couldn't stop his face twisting into an angry scowl. That idiot. That… that absolute idiot!

It was once they reached their dorm that Pyrrha spoke. "You're angry," she slurred. She'd been a dead weight on his shoulder for the entire journey, but near silent until that point.

"Not at you," he said. "I didn't mean to make you-"

"I know." Pyrrha stumbled a little, but he had one arm around her waist and her own about his neck. He caught her with a hand to her shoulder. Once she was stable, they began their slow progress back to their dorm once more. "You're angry at Yang," she said.

"Yeah…"

"Did they?" Pyrrha groaned and clasped a hand to her forehead. "Were they really trying to do that to me?"

Jaune felt a little sick but nodded his head. "It's not common, but it's also not as uncommon as we'd like. There are plenty of people who pick girls up at clubs, and plenty of girls who pick guys up as well. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, it's perfectly fine, but when you have a thousand customers on a Friday and Saturday night, there's bound to be a couple of bad ones."

"I didn't notice." Pyrrha seemed slightly more aware of her surroundings now, slightly less drunk. Maybe it was the fresh air, or maybe the long journey back with only a bottle of water to drink had helped her. "How did I not notice? Am I that stupid?"

"You were drunk, Pyrrha. That was no fault of yours. I should have looked after you."

"Don't blame yourself, Jaune."

"But it was my fault. I'm your partner. I'm supposed to keep an eye on you." He sighed. "Instead, I turned the night into an absolute disaster. I'm sorry, Pyrrha. I meant to show you a fun time, but… well, you got this." He looked aside, shame-faced. Pyrrha's laugh made him pause, however.

"A disaster? Jaune, I had fun."

"What?" He stared at her, their faces close. Her eyes were misty, but the smile was completely honest.

"It was fun," she repeated. It took her a few seconds to find her words, and even then, they still had a faint slur to them. "I mean, the end was a bit crazy but I still enjoyed everything else. I liked dancing, I liked the talking and the atmosphere was good. You can't hate something because of one bad experience. I had lots of fun."

He couldn't believe it, and even less so the look on her face. He was so shocked, he didn't even notice her other arm wrap around his neck.

"Do you know why I had so much fun?" she asked. His mind was still muddled with guilt and anger, so all he could do was nod. "It was fun because it was with you." Pyrrha smiled and pressed her lips against his.

His eyes widened in surprise, before slowly closing as his body reacted and deepened it. Her lips were soft, with a hint of mint and not at all the hazy taste of alcohol he'd expected. She was shy but enthusiastic, granted confidence by drink as she pushed deeper and ran a tongue across his bottom lip. Blood rushed to his lower body, but something worse flooded his stomach.

This was wrong.

It wasn't right. He broke away and tried to push her back, but no one had ever accused Pyrrha Nikos of being weak. She clung to him, cheeks red – lips redder. She blinked at him uncertainly, and leaned in once more. He turned his head to the side, and her lips caught the edge of his mouth.

"Don't," he whispered. Pyrrha pulled back. She looked hurt, uncertain… afraid.

"Why?"

"You don't want this," he said.

"I've wanted this for months. Jaune, I love you."

"You don't. Pyrrha, you're drunk!"

She looked at him as though she didn't recognise him for a second, but then burst into giggles. When they ended, she leaned in once more, but again, her lips didn't meet his. "I am drunk," she admitted, "but that doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth. I've loved you for so long, Jaune."

"You don't love me, Pyrrha."

"Then what is this?" she asked.

"This is… this is you thinking you love me." He sighed and tried to form the right words, but his head could barely function at all. The night had been too much. Too much avoidance, too much drama, too much emotion and now too much complication. "You love the idea of me, what you think I am. I'm not the person you love, Pyrrha. I'm not the ideal you have in your head."

"Yes you are," she argued. "You always think so little of yourself. You did it with Cardin, but now you're strong. You're brave, Jaune. You're kind and sweet and-"

"And a million other things you don't know." He stared into her eyes. "I know my faults better than you do, Pyrrha – and trust me when I say you don't know them."

"I want to know them," she said. She leaned in. "I want to discover them."

She kissed the hand he placed between their lips. Her emerald eyes flickered down to it, and it was impossible for him to miss the tears that appeared within them. She knew… even inebriated as she was, it was impossible not to know. She whimpered.

"Why…?"

"Because you don't love me, Pyrrha," he said. He tried to be comforting, but he knew it was anything but. "You don't love me… and I don't love you." He winced. "I'm sorry."

"Oh…" Pyrrha opened her mouth to say something more, but the words caught in her throat. She choked, and then choked again as she fought back tears. It was a useless effort. Her lips parted and a tiny sob broke forth. That was all, before she clamped down on her emotions, but it was more than enough to break his heart in two. "Oh," she said again. "I… I…"

"I'm sorry…"

"Is it… if it were Yang asking, you'd say yes, wouldn't you?"

Shock ran through him, tearing his eyes up to meet her red-rimmed ones. "It's not you," he said. "Pyrrha, please understand, this isn't because there's someone else or because there's something wrong with you. It's…"

"It's not me, it's you?"

She laughed bitterly, unaware of just how close to the truth she was. It was him, and it would continue to be him. She was perfect – strong, intelligent, innocent… all the things he wasn't. Most of all, though, she was someone who didn't know him. She only knew one part of him.

"In this case, it is," he said. "I'm really sorry, Pyrrha. I tried not to encourage you-"

"You knew?" Pyrrha's eyes grew wide and her face twisted in agony. She brought both hands up to cup her face. "All this time," she whispered, "all this time and you knew all along. Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't want to hurt you!" A fat lot of good that was now. "I didn't know what to say."

"What is there to say?" She shook her head and took a deep, shuddering breath. "Just tell me… if I were Yang, if it were her, would you have said yes?"

"If you were Yang, we wouldn't be having this conversation," he said. "She doesn't feel that way. We're friends, that's all. You and I are friends too, Pyrrha. You're just as important as she is."

"You fool… you don't even realise, do you? You don't even see how she looks at you."

"Realise what?" he asked. No, that wasn't important. He stepped forward and took Pyrrha's hand between his. "Pyrrha, I don't know what to say. I don't feel that way and… and I don't think you do, either. That's not an invitation to prove yourself to me. It's just my reasons. I do love you, but it's as I love Yang, as I love Ren, Nora and Ruby. Perhaps a little more in some cases." He tried to smile for her. "You're my partner, after all. But it's not in the way you think you want me to."

"If… If Yang asked, would you say yes?"

He sighed. It was the same question, and one she seemed determined to hear the answer to. He wasn't sure why it mattered, but he looked Pyrrha in the eye and answered anyway. "No," he said. "I wouldn't say yes to her, either. It's for the same reasons as you… or it would be, if she felt that way."

He expected the answer to please her, but for some reason it just made her shoulders sag even further. "I see," she whispered. "I… I'm sorry. I…" She took another breath, but it seemed to break her control once more, for she shivered and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I think I need some sleep. I… I think all the drink has… has made me feel… sick." Her words broke at the end, the lie as transparent as glass. Jaune smiled at her.

"Yeah… it can have that effect." He waved his scroll over the door to open it for her, but remained outside himself. "I think I'm going to sleep in the common room for tonight." She needed time to do what she had to do. Nora would look after her. He didn't want to make things worse. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Pyrrha nodded glumly. He noticed that her mascara, what little she'd worn, had run down her cheeks.

"Good night," she whispered.

"Good night, Pyrrha."

Some entertainer I am, he thought, as the door clicked shut. His face scrunched up as he heard Nora ask what was wrong from within, and Pyrrha let out a strangled cry. He forced his feet to take him away, to give her the privacy she needed.

He should have done something about it sooner, he knew. If only he'd not put it off and hoped it would go away. Jaune sagged as he sat down on the long couch, the same one he and Yang slept together in after their first night out. It was colder now, and he didn't think there would be anky blankets brought to him tonight.

"What a night…" he groaned. "What a night…"

Ugh, I hate to do stuff like that to Pyrrha. People likely know I don't like the character, but whenever I say that, I don't mean I dislike her, I mean I dislike the character as she was designed, and the way RT handled her. Which was to say she always felt a little empty, like she existed only to facilitate Jaune – and her death just kind of continued that, since it felt like again, she died just to give Jaune motivation.

Anyway, I really need to find a good angle for an Arkos of my own at some point, in which I re-imagine and recreate her. That's not an invitation for fic ideas, please.

Next Chapter: 2nd May

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur