As a fair comment to some who have said the fic replacing this "Service with a Smile" sounds similar to another story out there, I can assure you it will not be. Tending to the Soul is about Jaune as a bartender offering therapy, while he's an alcoholic himself. Mine is about Jaune opening a café and struggling to find fulfilment in a life as a civilian when he's surrounded by huntsman. The only similarity is that both hand over food items to customers.

Jaune, in mind, will own his own café, deal with the rigours of trying to make a living, and also learn how different life is when you're not a super-powered warrior capable of annihilating a legion of untrained goons.

Chapter 31

The Golden Oyster had never felt so intimidating.

Yang kept her head low, hidden in the queue with a hoodie pulled up over her hair, more make-up on her face than she usually wore. Most used it to make themselves look more attractive. She used it for camouflage. With all the gloss, shadow and blush, it would have been hard for someone to recognise her as a regular. True to form, the bouncers didn't see Yang Xiao-Long when she made her way to the front. They saw a random blonde girl trying too hard to impress, one who wouldn't quite meet their eyes, but handed over her money and ID easily enough.

Like they had with each person before, the man behind the counter only checked her age – handing it back with a nod and a tired yawn. They took her ten lien, handed her a colourful bracelet that would allow her to enter and leave without having to repay, and otherwise sent her on her way.

This was a bad idea.

She knew it was, even before she'd set out and even when Blake suggested it in the first place. Closure was all well and good, but it wouldn't change anything. This wasn't going to end with Crimson breaking down, opening his arms and welcoming her back. She wasn't stupid enough to think it would work like that.

Yang knew better than to look for love in a bar.

All she would likely receive was insults and cruel words, along with a bucket load of pain. That was fine. She wasn't here to try and make everything go back to how it had been before. She was here for answers.

Closure…

If he stuck to his story and said it was because he hated her then she would leave, content in the knowledge that she'd tried her best, and that she was better off without someone like that in her life. Friendships ended all the time. It was something she regretted, but not exactly something she could change. If he faked it, he faked it. She couldn't force him to like her.

Yang didn't believe that was the case though. There'd been something in his eyes when he'd sent her away, some kind of reluctance or struggle of his own. "I'm sure of it," she whispered. "He didn't want to do that to me. It hurt him as much as it did me."

Maybe she was being an idiot… maybe she was wrong.

But wasn't it worth the risk?

If she was wrong, then all she got was a miserable evening. She'd feel bad, get mad, and then go home and vent to Blake. She had the dance tomorrow and would soon forget all about it as she and Jaune came out on their relationship.

In short, if Crimson did hate her, then she'd live.

If he didn't though, if there had been something else… then it might mean having her friend back, fixing something, having two reasons to celebrate. It was idealistic, sure, but Ruby didn't have a monopoly on hope. If you didn't ask, you didn't get. Besides, if she bailed on this now, she knew she'd always look back and regret it. She'd always ask herself if things couldn't have been different if she'd just swallowed her pride and spoken with him.

There were a lot of things she regretted in life. One thing she didn't regret however, was learning from those mistakes.

Reg didn't even see her as she walked by the bar. He was there as he always was, running a rag around the inside of a glass and casting his own personal bubble of bile and vitriol that forced others away. A small smile threatened to break through the clouds when she saw him. She'd missed speaking to him, as weird as that sounded.

"Sorry Reg," she whispered, ignoring the bar in favour of the stairs. "Maybe another time. At least, I hope another time…"

It wouldn't have been too hard to speak with him, but that provided another risk. She knew Jaune was working tonight. He'd said as much, and she didn't want to let Reg know in case he got in touch with Jaune, and he came looking for her.

The stairs led to the other floors, but she passed by each of them in search of her destination. The corridor outside the VIP rooms was busier than usual, likely hinting at some kind of show. That was fine with her. It gave her the cover she needed to reach the front. Simon was there, the same bouncer who always was, and one whose name she'd learned after constantly running into him.

"Do you have a reservation, ma'am?" he asked, not even looking up from his clipboard.

"No. I wanted to pay for entry here."

"Have you been here before?"

"No." Yang kept her eyes low, letting the fringe she'd pulled forward cover them. Blonde hair wasn't unusual, but hers was just a little too showy. She'd tucked it down the back of the hoodie, and although it felt uncomfortable, it made her look like she had short-cropped hair. "How much is it for just the night?"

"Five-hundred lien, ma'am. Of course, you'll need to pay for drinks inside as well."

"That's fine." She fished out some clips and handed them over. Five-hundred exact. No need to invite recognition by making him fish for change.

"I hope you enjoy yourself, ma'am," he said, pulling the curtain back.

Yeah, she thought. I hope so, too.

The VIP room was just like it had always been. Yang had to force her feet not to carry her to the normal table she took, but instead a small one off to the side – against a wall and for only two people. When a man came up to ask for a drink, she handed him some lien and ordered white wine. She hated the stuff. It was too bitter and dry.

The waiter delivered it and left, no doubt sending that the woman before him didn't want to talk. The people here were taught discretion like that, or so Crimson had told her once. It wasn't unusual for the people who visited to not want that information leaked out, especially if they were in an important position and didn't want the media attention. Someone with their hood pulled up wasn't unusual. She was probably just an embarrassed customer or someone cheating on their partner.

It was ironic in a sense how accurate that was.

I'm not cheating on Jaune, she told herself. It's not cheating unless I'm here with the intent to betray him. I wouldn't even let most of these people touch me.

The lights dimmed. She'd chosen her time well. The crowd started to murmur and whisper with anticipation. Yang raised her glass, took a sip, and winced at the taste. It was clear there was a big show tonight. The Oyster only had two main attractions, those being Nina and Crimson. There was a fifty-fifty chance it would be him.

Yang wasn't sure if luck was with or against her when he appeared.

Her stomach clenched, as did her fingers around the glass in her hand. There was an immediate rush of anger. How dare he do that to her? How dare he lie to her face about being her friend! The rage fizzled out, replaced with a dull ache… a sense of longing.

And not in the way just about every other woman here longed for him.

She stared at his face as he moved out onto the stage. He didn't strut, nor did he pause and plant his hands on his hips like she'd seen others do. Crimson never stopped moving – not once. He swayed to a continuous drumbeat played out over the speakers. It was a low and haunting thing that made her think of some kind of tribal dance from a thousand or more years ago, and it was that energy he worked to convey.

There was nothing snuggly, cute or adorable about Crimson. He presented an image of raw and unapologetic sexuality.

She'd once been turned on by that, hadn't she? Like much of the crowd now were, the women baying like animals and others whistling and waving for his attention. He never gave it. Sometimes his eyes would stray over them, and people would cry and moan when they did, but for the most part he looked over their heads, a cocky smile that said he didn't need them on his face.

The crowd seemed to lap that up, even if Yang didn't.

Was this him faking things? She could tell. The way he'd acted before was so different from what she saw now. In private, he was polite and charismatic, friendly and kind. The problem was, she didn't know whether that had been the mask, or this person she saw on the stage before her.

His hand tugged his crimson shirt from out his black pants. A crimson shirt for Crimson… she snorted. That was bad. Even for her. He played with the hem for a moment, bunching and pulling the shirt together as he teased them with just a few short glimpses of his toned abs. He took a step to the side, planting one foot down as he stood with his back to the audience. With both hands clasped before him, he slowly dragged the shirt up his body, pausing occasionally to let the silken fabric brush against his muscles.

His back was particularly well-sculpted. Yang didn't think she'd ever found a back sexy before, but he pulled it off well. Unbidden, an image of Jaune appeared in her mind, and she had to smother a smile in a sip of wine. What would he look like without his top? She hadn't pressed, or even suggested they take their relationship further, but that didn't mean she didn't think about it. Would he put Crimson to shame or fail to measure up?

Would it even matter? Yang didn't think so. She'd chosen him long before he took his clothing off, so he could be scarred or burned and she wouldn't have cared.

Besides, Crimson wasn't real. He was a real person, but his name wasn't Crimson, and the persona he presented the crowd now was part of his appeal. He was unnatural and untouchable, something to long for but never touch. When he turned to regard them all, back still to the crowd, his smile was taunting and teasing, like he knew the effect he had and wasn't afraid to drag it out.

Where before, she might have gone bright red. Now, Yang rolled her eyes. He was so dramatic.

She wished she could tease and taunt him about that, just to see his reaction. He'd likely laugh and rub a hand through his hair. He did that a lot, and it was a curiously familiar reaction. One she knew she recognised elsewhere.

It was official. Crimson was a very, very sexy man. She'd freely admit it. She liked him, was aroused by him, but he wasn't Jaune. She wouldn't cheat on him like that.

Yang left before the show came to a close.

She wondered if Crimson saw that, and if he connected the dots with the same woman who'd done that before. She doubted it. Her feet took her down and out of the VIP area, past Simon and down the stairs.

As she approached the exit however, she slowed down. People moved by, mostly customers with drinks, shouting and laughing with their friends on a Saturday night. Yang watched them come and go, and waited for the right moment.

When a particularly large crowd passed in front of her, she ducked through the nearby door and slammed it shut.

Staff-Only. She took a deep breath. She was in.

The bouncer manning the doors to the private section of the VIP area would have never let her through. Crimson would have passed on her description, and Nina probably knew she wasn't allowed, too. That meant she had to take more drastic measures if she wanted this to work. An excited smile slipped across her face, even if her heart beat a thousand times a minute and she felt anything but excited.

"Well," she whispered, "I guess after this, my VIP status will be revoked."

Not even Reg would forgive her for breaking into the restricted sections of his club. To be fair, the winding corridors and box-filled rooms would have been a maze to anyone else. It would have been to her as well, if it weren't for Jaune showing her around that time they lost Pyrrha.

She dashed to the left, keeping her head low and her footfalls as silent as she could. It wasn't an easy task, but the floor was carpeted, probably to prevent slips, and the music from outside beat through the walls with enough force to cover some of it. There was a room ahead, the door open and the sound of conversation coming from within. Yang paused outside it and tried to control her breathing.

"Biggs, report? There's a party arguing with another on floor two, by the balcony." There was a pause from the voice inside, during which she heard muffled static. "I need you there now, man. Grab someone to go with and break it up before it starts or we'll have something worse on our hands."

"Suspicious figure handing package to another on main floor, sector one," a different voice whispered. "Brown coat, brown hair, passing to blonde hair with beige coat... They're headed to bathrooms. Intercept and check for illegal substances."

Yang breathed a sigh of relief and slipped a little lower down the wall. It was some kind of control room, likely connected to all the security feeds in the club. She waited until both the men inside were speaking again before she tip-toed past. She caught a glimpse of twenty or more screens, along with two people wearing headsets. Neither looked her way as she brushed by, and she breathed a sigh of relief on the other side, continuing on.

That still presented a risk… if they had cameras outside, then they might have them in the restricted areas too. She looked up at the ceiling for the tell-tale black, glass dome she'd seen a hundred times before. True to her suspicion, there was one above her.

"Crap… I've got to be quick."

Hiding wasn't an option now. The longer she waited, the more chance she gave them to spot her – and spot her they would, since there wasn't a place to hide in sight and she needed to make it through the corridors either way.

I don't want to get into a fight with these guys. This isn't Junior's place. They've not done anything wrong and I don't want to hurt any of them. She just wanted to reach and talk with Crimson – get the truth from him, bad or good. Once she'd done that, she could be done with this place once and for all. That meant she needed more haste than care.

Well, wasn't that her speciality anyway?

Yang dashed through the halls, throwing caution to the wind. It was the right decision. As she rounded the next corner, she almost crashed into a waitress carrying a stack of glasses. She toppled and would have fallen, but for Yang catching her with one hand, and the stack with the other. "Sorry," she laughed, pushing them back into the girl's hands.

"Thank y- no, wait – you're not meant to be back here, miss!"

"Sorry!" Yang repeated, running by. Welp, the Blake was out of the bag as one might say! It wasn't like she could have avoided the people who worked back here forever. I just need to make my way further up, she thought, spotting a staircase and jumping up it three or four steps at a time. I pretty much know where the general area is, and once I get there I know where his room is.

Or the room she used to visit him in, anyway. It was the one the bouncer always took her to. With how many floors and rooms there were, it would take people some time to find her, if that girl even raised the alarm at all. She might have thought it a mistake and shrugged it off. Better safe than sorry. I need to pick up the pace.

Someone had some real answering to do…

/-/

Nina was waiting for him outside the changing rooms. She was propped against a wall, one knee out as she leaned back with the sole of her foot against it, a cigarette in her hand. She was dressed far more casually than usual, with baggy tracksuit trousers and a short top. "You sure got the crowd worked up," she said when she spotted him. "From the sounds of it, they're still not over you."

"I'm just doing my job, Nina. Speaking of, you're not working tonight?"

"What, you think I can't pull off the grungy `zero-effort` look?" she asked, holding her arms wide.

He raised an eyebrow.

She laughed. "Okay, smart-ass. You got me. I took the night off, but still had to come in to be your personal stylist." She gestured to his hair with her cigarette, before taking a long drag. "It's our anniversary tonight."

"You and Brian?"

"No, me and Reg." She rolled her eyes. "Of course I mean me and Brian. You're unusually slow today. Something on your mind?"

Jaune looked back the way he'd come, back towards the stage and lights, the crowd and the cheers. He'd managed to snag his trousers back off the floor before he left, because even as loose as everyone was back here, he didn't fancy standing around with his junk hanging loose. "Someone left the show before it was finished," he said.

Nina winced. "Ouch. Did your ego take that much of a blow?"

"Be nice," he said with a roll of his eyes. "It's not me losing my touch or something. It was just that it reminded me of… something."

"Yang?"

He looked away.

"You're not the subtlest of people, Jaune. Or should I say Crimson? You're good at hiding some things, but not when you feel down." Nina smirked and flicked his nose with her finger. "You were always like that. As an orphaned kid, you were pretty resilient. Not much bothered you – right up until you'd drop or break something, then bam, you looked guiltier than a puppy."

"Because I was afraid you'd throw me back out on the streets," he scoffed.

"Yeah, I'd believe that if it weren't still happening now. Look at you, moping over what happened before. You feel bad about what you did to her and oh my, is it showing."

"Shouldn't I feel bad?"

"You should," she agreed. "It's just that you shouldn't let it wear you down. Shit happens. Move on." Nina tilted her head to the side and smiled coyly at him. "Besides, aren't you making it up to her in other ways? You've got your first official night together tomorrow, haven't you?"

"The Beacon Dance," Jaune said, nodding. "I went and bought a suit earlier. Yang did too, but she wouldn't let me see it or even show me a picture."

Nina slapped him across the back of the head.

"Ow. What was that for?"

"For being an idiot, I suppose. Well, that or I just felt like it. She isn't going to show you her dress, you big buffoon. This is her first dance with her new boyfriend. It's important." Nina rolled her eyes, as though it should have been obvious from the start. "She wants to surprise you with how she looks. I take it you know the proper response, right?"

"Surprise, shock, awe – jaw falling to my feet?"

Nina wiped away an imaginary tear. "I've taught you so well." Her smile faded a moment later, replaced by a far deadlier one. "On a serious note, you are serious about her, right? You already hurt the girl before with your Crimson shit. I actually like the girl, as does Reg and Brian."

The threat was left unsaid, and it was perhaps better that way. Jaune didn't feel worried by it, and instead allowed a soft, almost bitter smile, to spread across his face. It was true, Yang really had made an impression on the people who worked here. She'd become a regular figure to them, and most got on with her.

Some of them had even asked him where she'd gone or what happened, not knowing he was Crimson or what had taken place between them. It was sad, really. Yang had made it clear she didn't intend to come here again, and with good reason. It was just a shame to see that so many people would be broken up by his stupid lies.

He was going to make it up to her.

"I am serious about this," he said. "At least, I'm serious about trying to make it work." Nina sent him a stern look, so he quickly explained. "I like it when it's just the two of us together in Vale. We were always close before in Beacon, but it's different when it's just the two of us. I'm not sure if it's love, but I can definitely say I feel attracted to her, both physically and for her personality." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't want this to end… and I'm willing to give being official boyfriend and girlfriend a go. I want to make it work."

"You're so silly," Nina said, shaking her head. "You're literally the last person to realise you like her, but I suppose that's not your fault. Haven't you ever found it odd just how often you say you're not sure if it's love or not?" She pulled a funny pose and mimicked his voice "I'm not sure if I love her. She loved Crimson, not the real me. I like being around her, but I'm just not sure." Her voice came down to her more natural tone. "You ever noticed that?"

What, that imitation was a skill Nina did not possess? It was probably best not to bring that up. "Is it really that bad?"

"Eh, a little…" Her face softened. She sighed and reached out, winding a lock of his red hair around her finger. "It's nothing to be too worried about," she said. "Honestly, I'd be surprised if you weren't a little like this. It would be a little convenient if you came out completely fine after everything that happened to you."

His brow creased. What was she talking about?

"Your childhood," she explained, seeing his confusion. "Think about it, Jaune. You lost everything you had and loved. You went from having a family that loved you, to being alone on the streets – taken advantage of by every person who crossed your path. You would have been messed up even before you came to live in a strip club where people sell love as easily as booze."

"You think I've been mentally blocking away the idea that I could love someone?" he asked, guessing at her point. It made a disturbing amount of sense, especially since he'd allegedly lost the people he loved when he was young. "I don't remember any of it though. Wouldn't that defeat the idea?"

"You might not up here," she said, tapping his head. Her fingers came down to push at the skin over his heart. She didn't need to finish the sentence. "You might be doing it subconsciously, as some kind of defence mechanism. It took you a while to warm up to us as well. The first few days, you were like a cornered dog jealously hoarding any food we offered. You'd hide the leftovers, thinking we would take them away or that you had to make it last."

Jaune frowned. He didn't exactly like to remember those days. Besides, it was nothing unusual. Why eat until you were full, when you'd just be hungry the next day? Sure, the food might be a little more rotten, but a slice of bread could last several meals if you were willing to ignore a little pain.

"You're better now, of course," she went on. "I dare say you've left those days behind you entirely. It's not beyond possibility that something stuck, however. If anything, I'd say it's a little nugget of fear that makes you afraid of caring for people in case you lose them."

There could be no argument. He did feel that way. He crossed his arms defensively, looking away. "Is that so bad? No one wants to lose people."

"No. It's not bad at all." She smiled. "I'm not saying it is. I just wanted to point it out to you. You like her, and she likes you. You're going to be giving a relationship a go, so all I'm saying is that maybe you should stop questioning whether you do or don't love her, and just see what happens. Who knows? You might be surprised."

"Maybe you're right…"

It would be a disservice to do anything else, and he was looking forward to tomorrow – more than he'd thought he would. There was panic too… mostly over what reaction Pyrrha might have. Yang had assured him they'd deal with that together though. If his partner was hurt, they'd talk with her, sort it out.

With that worry gone, all that was left was a giddiness he wasn't sure he'd ever felt before.

Maybe he loved her, maybe he didn't. It really wasn't an issue. He couldn't think of anything he'd rather do with his time then take her to the dance. Nina was right. All his doubts were just attempts to prevent him from feeling hurt by making him expect it in the first place.

Jaune laughed out loud.

"Great," Nina sighed, "and now I've broken you. Well, it was bound to happen one day."

"I'll remember that when I'm putting you into a home," he said. "Anyway, I need to get back to Beacon. The dance is pretty late tomorrow so I want a full night's sleep. I hope you and Brian have fun tonight. For the record, I don't need the sordid details."

"Oh my, what a prude…" Nina laughed and placed her hand on the side of his head. He felt the familiar tingle of her Semblance at work. "For the record, if the two of you get it on, I want all the sordid details~"

Cool air brushed out from her hand, washing over his head and hair as her Semblance took hold. It felt like a wave of cold water gently running across his scalp, and he sighed as the crimson colour slowly drained away.

There was a crash from further down the hallway. It sounded like someone crashing into someone, and both Nina and he turned at the same time.

The figure was stood near the end of the corridor, one hand on the wall, the other on a small pile of boxes they'd accidentally knocked over. Jaune opened his mouth to call out, but froze when the figure looked up and into his eyes.

Lilac eyes…

He'd only ever seen them on one person before. He only knew one girl who had eyes that colour, or hair the shade of gold he could see peeking through the hoodie. But why was she here? What was she doing? Why was she staring at him like that? He still had his mask and… and…

Jaune's stomach fell. Almost against his will, his eyes shifted to Nina, past her panicked expression, to the lock of hair she held in her hand.

It was blonde.

"Crim… J-Jaune…?"

Her voice was weak. Hoarse.

"Yang," he whispered back, a mixture of surprise and horror in his own. He swallowed. "I- This isn't…"

She stared at him. Yang's mouth opened and closed, but no words came forth. One foot fell back as she moved away, never once taking her eyes off of him. She took another step back, her head shaking the entire time.

Jaune staggered out of Nina's hold and reached out a hand to stop her.

"Yang, wait, please – I can explain!"

She didn't wait. Her eyes met his, and in that instant, there could be no doubt that she'd seen him. That she'd recognised what it meant to see him in Crimson's outfit, in his mask and with the red bleeding from his hair.

Yang took another step back.

And fled…

Well, it was bound to happen eventually. I think that in terms of chapters, there should be… maybe three left to this? Maybe... It's hard to say for sure, but that is my planned amount. Just as a fair warning, when this does end, there will be a week's gap before the next fic starts. That is to let me plan ahead and get a story line in place.

Next Chapter: 4th July

P a treon . com (slash) Coeur