WAIT, WHAT! HOW MANY I'M MARRYING?

by vanquish356

Having grown up with seven sisters, Jaune could confidently say nothing could surprise him. And that he is ready for whatever crazy twist life might send his way. However, that all changed when he received a letter from Vale's City Clerk office. Inside it were multiple marriage contracts that his parents had made long ago. And he is going to meet them soon. Oum, help him.

5. Chapter 5

WAIT, WHAT! HOW MANY I'M MARRYING!?

Chapter 5: Furious Fashionista, A helpful Faunus, and the Revelation

"Should we leave?" Pyrrha asked.

"I think that would be for the best." Ren said.

"But where should we go?" Nora asked as they felt a cold chill spread throughout Beacon Academy.

"I'm not sure. I just know we should get Jaune as far away from Beacon and any place that sells clothes or accessories as possible." Pyrrha answered.

"And we should do so now." Nora said. Everyone nodded as they got up. But before they could head to the door, someone opened it. And it wasn't someone they were expecting.

Half an Hour Earlier

"Alright, everyone. That was a good day of training." Coco Adel said as she and her team relaxed in their dorm.

"Yeah. But now." Yatshuhasi said, stretching before lying on his bed. "We have a whole week to relax."

"Or to catch up on some assignments. And study for any future tests or assignments." Fox added.

"What about you, bun-bun?" Coco asked, looking toward her faunus partner that she saw as a sort of younger sister despite being the same age. And, like an older sister, Coco would destroy anything that even harmed a single hair on Velvet's head. "Any plans for the week?"

"No. Well, I might attend this workshop about photography in a few days."

"Is it safe?" Fox asked, worried.

"Do you want one of us to join you?" Yatshuhasi asked.

"It's safe. I checked, and I also asked Blake from Team Rwby if she knew about the place. And she said she knew the place and the instructor. Everything is safe. And, no. It's okay." Velvet answered.

"Alright. But let us know if you change your mind and want one of us to come with you." Coco said as she grabbed some clothes. "I'm going to take a quick shower."

"Alright." The others said as they watched Coco enter the bathroom and close the door. But as soon as they did, Fox and Yatshuhasi immediately turned to Velvet.

"Quick. While Coco is in the shower, what are you actually going to do, Velvet?" Yatshuhasi asked as he sat on his bed.

While they didn't like talking or hiding things from their leader, Yatshuhasi and Fox did so for Velvet's sake. And the reason this time was that they didn't want Velvet to suffer from Coco's constant teasing about her crush on Team Jnpr's leader. Fox and Yatshuhasi knew it would be brutal, not just because Coco loves to tease Velevt regardless of the situation but also because of how badly Velvet was crushing on Jnpr's leader. She even made a plush doll of him to sleep with at night.

"There's this workshop that's all about helping ones like me ask out our crush. I signed up so I could ask him out in time for this couple's picnic event happening next week." Velvet answered, blushing.

"Well, good luck, Velvet. You're going to need it since I overheard Team Rwby saying he is a bit dense-headed when it comes to female attention." Fox said.

"Thanks, Fox. I'm sure going to need it."

"But still. Do you want one of us to come with you to the workshop? Just to be safe, and so Coco doesn't get suspicious." Yatshuhasi asked.

"Yes, please. The last thing we need is Coco getting suspicious." Velvet said, smiling.

Meanwhile

"Too late for that, Bun-Bun." Coco said as she stepped away from the bathroom door.

While she didn't hear the entire conversation, Coco heard all she needed. And that was that Velvet was crushing on someone big time. This revelation meant three things were now on Coco's agenda. The first was to find out who Velvet was crushing on and see if they met her standards. After all, she couldn't let just anyone get into a relationship with her Bun-Bun. The second was to find a way to get them together, as Coco knew Velvet was incredibly shy. That is, if the person passed her test. However, the last thing was the most important one.

'Get ready, Velvet. As soon as I find out who you're crushing on, I'm going to tease you to no end. After all, what kind of leader would I be if I didn't help you out? And while it might not be biological, I do see you as a sort of younger sister. That makes me the older sister, meaning I HAVE to tease you relentlessly.'

Chuckling to herself, Coco turned on the shower and adjusted the temperature. Once it was hot enough, Coco undressed herself quickly before getting in. Relishing the warmth, Coco let the water melt away all the tension and dirt/sweat she had worked up during training and being a leader. While she might make it seem easy and inspiring, it was incredibly challenging. And a warm shower was just how Coco liked to end the days as it allowed her to actually relax.

'Ah. This is the perfect way to end the day. All that's missing is a nice cup of coffee.' Coco thought as she let the warm water wash the soap off her body.

But not for the first time, Coco wondered what it would be like to shower with a special someone. Washing each other's bodies and possibly getting a bit frisky afterward was something she always wanted to experience. But while Coco had been in a few relationships before, they never lasted longer than one date. However, that did not mean she wanted to rush into a new relationship. But that was if she was looking to get into one. Coco wanted to finish her time at Beacon Academy before even considering getting into a serious relationship.

'But that does not mean I will never get into one.' Coco thought as she turned off the shower. 'But first things first. I need to find out who captured my Bun-Bun's heart.'

Grabbing a towel, Coco dried herself off before getting out of the shower. She then grabbed her clothes and began to change into them. Once done, she grabbed her stuff and was about to exit the bathroom but stopped once she realized that she nearly forgot her scroll. Going over to it, Coco was about to pocket it but stopped when it went off. Looking at the number, she smiled when she realized her mother was calling her.

"Hey, mom." Coco said, answering the call.

'Hey, dear. How's my fashionista doing?' Coco's mother asked. 'Are you still up to date and keeping with all the trends?'

"Of course. Although, I still need to get a few considering I needed to save up a bit more lien to afford them."

'I don't blame you. The prices of all the current trends have gone ridiculously high.'

"Not only them. But the prices for the bullets and dust I use for Gianduja are now borderline robbery."

'Honestly. How do the Council and retailers expect you and others to save them if you can't even afford ammunition or repairs for your weapons?'

"Right?" Coco said, rolling her eyes.

It honestly baffled Coco at how expensive things were getting. Thankfully, her team now had actual missions that paid them a semi-decent amount of lien. And as the days passed and the school year continued, they would get missions that paid even more lien. But this was because they were second-year students. Coco honestly felt terrible for first-years as they didn't have any missions and needed to get outside jobs for the needed lien to survive. However, classes and the teachers made that far more challenging than necessary.

"Anyway. Did you call to check on me, or did you need something, Mom?" Coco asked as she grabbed a towel to dry her hair, which she forgot.

'Sort of. I need to tell you something.'

"What is it?" Coco asked, curious while raising an eyebrow.

'Well, you're a big girl now. So I won't sugarcoat it. I'll just tell you directly.'

'Okay. What could this be? Mom has never said or begun anything like that before.' Coco wondered.

'Listen, dear. I know who you are. I know you take a lot after me. But you also take after your father.'

"What does that mean?"

'You have trouble finding a decent partner. Like your father, you, unfortunately, attract some of the worst kinds of partners. Not only that, you scare off any halfway decent guy. I asked some of them why they ran off like cowards, and they said they didn't think they would be able to handle you and that you scared them shitless. I honestly think the Brothers above put a curse on us or are messing with us for some sick twisted kind of fun.'

"What are you getting at, Mom?" Coco asked, now annoyed and slightly insulted.

'What I am getting at, daughter, is that I don't want you to end up alone or get together with a shit partner. That almost happened to me. Thankfully, your father came when he did. So, I did what any concerned mother would do.'

"What's that?"

'I' called to tell you that you're in an arranged marriage with the son of some old customers/friends.'

Meanwhile

"Alright." Yatshuhasi said as they finished storing away all their books and supplies.

"Now we can relax. Hopefully, we didn't forget anything else." Velvet said as she sat on her bed.

"Hopefully. We could use some rest." Fox said as he lay down on his bed.

"But now what? We have a few hours before Coco's imposed curfew." Velvet asked. While Beacon didn't have an official curfew, students knew better to stay up late as the teachers would discreetly make them suffer for it the next day. However, despite this, Coco, being the leader, put into place a curfew for them.

"Maybe we can watch a movie. We have some popcorn we could make." Yatshuhasi answered.

"And we have some fresh coffee for Coco." Fox added.

"Alright. But what movie should we watch?" Velvet asked before quickly adding. "But please don't let it be horror."

"Of course, Velvet. We know you don't like horror movies." Yatshuhasi said.

"How about that new boxing-" Fox began, but a sudden shriek cut him off.

"WHAT!?" Coco shouted from the bathroom, startling everyone.

"What was that?" Fox nervously asked. And for good reason. Coco rarely ever got mad or raised her voice. Hell, the only times that Fox and the others recalled Coco getting mad was when Team Crdl was harassing Velvet. But even then, Coco managed to retain her composure for the most part. Whatever just happened must have been bad or shocking.

"I don't know." Yatshuhasi said, worried for her leader but also curious about what caused Coco to shout.

"Uh, Coco? Is everything alr-" Velvet began, walking to the bathroom. Only to jump back and out of the way when Coco burst out of the bathroom with the door swinging and hitting the wall hard enough to leave a noticeable crack.

"WHERE IS HE!?" Coco asked, furious.

"W-who?" Velvet nervously asked as she took a step back.

"ARC! JAUNE ARC! THE LEADER OF TEAM JNPR! WHERE IS HE?!"

"Uh. Why do you want to know where he is, Coco? And what happened?" Yatshuhasi asked as he stood between Coco and Velvet while trying to diffuse the situation or, at the very least, calm their leader and friend down. However, he took a step back as sweat formed on his forehead as pure rage emanated from Coco.

"TELL! ME! WHERE! HE! IS! RIGHT! NOW!" Coco seethed. "HE NEEDS TO PAY FOR DOING THIS!"

"Doing what? What did he do?" Velvet asked, genuinely confused. While, admittingly, she, Fox, and Yatshuhasi didn't know Jaune that well, they knew without a doubt that he was a kind person. Moreover, they were certain Jaune wouldn't actively try to mess with others.

"HE POTENTIALLY RUINED MY LIFE!"

"That doesn't sound like him at all. Granted, we don't know him that well. But if what some others say is true, that's like the complete opposite of something Jaune would do." Yatshuhasi said, thoroughly confused.

"WELL, THEY'RE WRONG! NOW! DO YOU KNOW WHERE HE IS?!"

"Yes. Before we got back, I heard him nearby. I asked him where he was going, and he answered that he needed to meet with some fourth-year students. He should be there near Team KYAK's dorm." Fox answered.

"Thanks. I'll be back soon." Coco said before dashing out of the room.

"Fox. Please tell me you don't actually know where he is." Yatshuhasi said, turning to him.

"I don't. But something isn't adding up. I might not know Jaune aside from a few details; this does not seem like something he would do. Plus, I think Coco's anger is making her not think straight. Maybe this was just some confusion or misunderstanding." Fox said.

"But could have gotten Coco this mad?" Velvet asked. But before the others could answer, Velvet's faunus ears picked up someone faintly talking.

"Uh, Velvet? Do you hear something?" Yatshuhasi asked as Velvet headed into the bathroom.

"Yes." Velvet answered as she returned. And in her hands was Coco's scroll.

"Coco's scroll?" Yatshuhasi asked, surprised.

"Why did she-" Fox began, but a voice cut him off.

'Hello? Coco? Are you still there?'

"Hello? Who is this?" Yatshuhasi asked, taking the scroll from Velvet.

'I could ask the same for you. What are you doing with my daughter's scroll?'

"My name is Yatshuhasi. I am a member of Coco's team, Team CFVY."

'Oh, Yatshuhasi. Yes. My daughter told me about you three.' Coco's mother said, sounding relieved.

"Oh, sorry if this is personal. But what happened that got Coco so mad?" Velvet asked.

'Well, it is. But considering my daughter considers all of you close friends and have been a team for nearly a year and a half, I'll tell you. I know my daughter. And I want her to be happy. But I don't want her to end up alone or with some douchebag that claims to love her. It nearly happened before, and it nearly happened to me.'

"So what did you do?" Fox asked, curious.

'I got into contact with some old customers that are also friends. I knew them personally. They are some of the better people out there. I also know they raise their kids to be gentlemen/ladies and to respect everyone. So, I made an arranged contract with them to marry Coco to their son. Keep in mind this was made a while ago, and I snuck in the clause to terminate it should the son become an ass. But from what I've seen and heard, he turned out how I had hoped. And since it was time, I called Coco to tell her about it.'

"Okay. I can kind of see where you're coming from." Velvet said, shocked but sort of understanding her point of view.

"But I don't think that would have been enough to cause Coco to storm out and hunt down Jaune." Yatshuhasi said.

'Not enough to hunt him down. I knew she would have gotten angry. And I don't blame her. I know you three don't either. But I should have worded it better.'

"What do you mean?" Fox asked, confused.

'I never like to sugarcoat things. The only times I make an exception to that is when I'm talking to little kids. I prefer to say it how it is. You could say it's like the old expression of ripping it off like a band-aid. So, I told her that she was getting married in an arranged marriage. But I might have made it sound like I was just giving her away like I wanted to get rid of her. Or that I was forced into doing this to her. I'm not entirely sure. Just know that I wanted the best for her and didn't want her to end up like I almost did.'

"Yeah. That's most likely why Coco became furious. The wording." Fox said.

"But at least you chose a good guy. We don't know Jaune that well. But from what little we do know about him, we know that he is a great guy, nice, and humble." Yatshuhasi said.

'That's good. Some reassurance that I made a good call with him is always nice. And that while it might not be a loving marriage, it will at least be nice and not unpleasant.' Coco's mother said before sighing. 'Anyway. Can you three do me a small favor?'

"Sure. What is it?" Velvet asked.

'Can you try and calm my daughter down and prevent her from tracking down Jaune and hurting him?'

"Of course." Yatshuhasi answered.

'Thanks. And once you do, tell her to call me so I can explain everything.' Coco's mother said before ending the call.

"Well, our day just got busy with something we were not expecting." Fox said.

"Yeah." Velvet agreed, unsure of what to say or how to feel. On the one hand, she was glad that her leader was okay and wasn't in any danger. But on the other hand, she was upset that her leader would be the one getting together with her crush.

"Are you okay, Velvet?" Yatshuhasi asked.

"Yeah. Just... having some trouble processing this."

"That's understandable." Fox said.

"So, how should we stop Coco from taking out Jaune?"

"Coco is more likely to listen to you, Velvet. So you and Fox go find her and try to calm her down." Yatshuhasi answered.

"What will you do?" Fox asked.

"I'll go warn Team Jnpr. They need to know."

"I think it will also be good if you brought them into town. Just in case Coco finds them before we can get to her." Fox added.

"Right. Good idea. Let's go." Yatshuhasi said as they exited their dorm to chase after their leader and warn Team Jnpr.

Team JNPR's dorm

Five Minutes Later

"Yatshuhasi?" Team JNPR asked, surprised.

"Yes." Yatshuhasi said, panting. Despite being in great shape, he forgot how far the first-year dorms were from the second-year dorms.

"What are you doing here?" Jaune asked, curious while having an inkling about the answer.

"I came to warn you that Coco is on her way here. And she's furious."

"We know. We heard her scream from here." Nora said.

"Yeah. And you won't believe the reason."

"She's in an arranged marriage with me." Jaune said, surprising Yatshuhasi.

"Wait. How did-"

"I have the certificates." Jaune answered, showing Yatshuhasi the marriage contract between himself and Coco. However, what caught his attention were the others.

"But what about those other papers?" Yatshuhasi asked, pointing to the others.

"Yeah. Long story short, my parents put me into an arranged contract with not just one girl, but eighteen others." Jaune answered.

Silence.

"Uh-"

"Okay." Yatshuhasi said, laughing his off. "You are either the luckiest person on the face of Remnant or the unluckiest one."

"I know. Ren told me that two days ago." Jaune sighed while Nora, Ren, and Pyrrha chuckled.

"Do you at least know some of them?"

"A few."

"For starters." Pyrrha said, grabbing Jaune's arm.

"There's us." Nora said, doing the same.

"Well, at least you know them." Yatshuhasi said.

"And then there's Velvet from your team." Jaune said.

"Wait. Velvet?"

"Yes."

"Wasn't expecting that." Yatshuhasi said, surprised. And while it might not be ideal or 'conventional,' he was secretly glad Velvet would end up with her crush. However, they still had to find out if Jaune returned her feelings. But Yatshuhasi highly doubted that as they barely knew each other, let alone hung out even once. Maybe down the road, there's a slight chance that might change, but it was still a long shot.

"Me neither. And next is-"

*BAM*

"WHERE ARE YOU, ARC!?" Coco shouted, scaring them. While they didn't know how far she was, they knew she would find them if they stayed put.

"This might be redundant, but why is Coco so angry?" Ren asked.

"And isn't she normally great at controlling her emotions?" Pyrrha asked.

*BAM*

"WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"How about I-DUCK!" Yatshuhasi began before shouting and ducking when a piece of a wall came flying toward them. Thankfully, it seemed like Coco didn't find them yet and simply "threw it" out of her way. "How about I answer that while we're on the bullhead flying away from Beacon?" Yatshuhasi suggested.

"Sure." Team Jnpr answered, feeling the chill of death go down their spines when they heard the familiar sound of gunshots nearby.

Half an Hour Later

Vale

"So what caused Coco to become this furious?" Nora asked as they exited the bullhead. But even far from Beacon, they could still feel the occasional tremor.

"The arranged marriage. And yes. Coco's great at keeping her emotions in check. The only times we had seen Coco get angry was when Team Crdl harassed Velvet." Yatshuhasi answered.

"But that wouldn't be enough to cause her to go on a manhunt for Jaune." Pyrrha said, worried.

"Typically, no. But when Coco's mother called to tell Coco about the arranged marriage, she... didn't word it right. She even admitted that she could have worded it better."

"Yeah. That makes sense." Jaune said.

"How did you react when you learned about the arranged marriages?"

"Well, I was shocked. And I had a hard time processing it. But I wasn't angry. I was more worried about the others, considering this will change their lives."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Jaune was more worried about the others than himself." Pyrrha said.

"And he kept on thinking of ways to try to 'save' everyone else because he didn't want to ruin their lives despite not knowing about the marriages in the first place." Nora added.

"It took us a bit and a long talk to get Jaune to realize that it wasn't his fault and that we wanted this to happen." Pyrrha said, blushing.

"Well, our marriages after we learned about them. We're not sure about the others." Nora quickly added.

"Huh. I wasn't expecting that." Yatshuhasi said, secretly impressed and glad Velvet fell for someone with a conscious and morals instead of someone far less scrupulous.

"Anyway. So, where are we going?" Ren asked, snapping Yatshuhasi from his thoughts.

"There's this place I know of that's sort of hidden that not a lot of people know about. We can lay low there until Coco calms down."

"What then?" Pyrrha asked.

"Once Coco is calm enough, we'll explain everything and have her call her mother so she can explain the rest."

"Alright." Jaune said, still worried.

Nodding, Yatshuhasi motioned for Team Jnpr to follow him. They looked at each other before shrugging. While they didn't know outside of his name and what team he was on, they figured they could trust him. After all, the only other option was to find a place to hide from Coco and pray she didn't find them.

Running to catch up with Yatshuhasi, they followed him throughout Vale to the place he had in mind. However, instead of using the regular routes they would typically use, Yatshuhasi led them down some roads none of them had ever been on before. And the night sky with very limited lights made it slightly nerve-wracking. Thankfully, it only lasted about ten minutes as they soon reached an area where streetlights lit up the place properly. Unfortunately, like with life, once one problem leaves, a new one arrives to take its place. And in this instance, it was a few nighttime block parties.

"Great." Yatshuhasi said, sounding annoyed.

"Should we go around?" Nora asked, trying to see a way through. But there were just so many people that she could not see past ten feet.

"We can, but we need to get there as quickly as possible. And besides, even if we do take another, we will need to make a few more turns since the place is at the end of a pseudo cul de sac. Basically, there's only one way to it."

"Alright." Ren said, slightly annoyed as he had never been too fond of crowds.

"I just wish I brought me-" Pyrrha began but stopped when Jaune placed a hat on her.

"I grabbed these guys before we left. I didn't know where we were going and didn't want to take the chance of people swarming you again." Jaune said as he adjusted the hat before placing sunglasses on her, followed by a red scarf.

"Thanks, Jaune." Pyrrha said, blushing before pecking him on the lips.

'Velvet definitely made the right choice in falling for Jaune.' Yatshuhasi said, smiling. "Come on. We better hurry. Hopefully, Velvet and Fox are almost done calming Coco down."

Nodding, they followed Yatshuhasi through the crowd of partiers. But they made a conscious effort to stay as close together as possible. However, this proved far more challenging than they initially thought, as there were so many people they had trouble keeping track of each other as they pushed through the crowd. And if they weren't currently trying to escape a potentially painful experience, they would have questioned why there was a block party this late at night.

'Damn it.' Jaune thought as he struggled to keep up or keep track of the others.

But try as he might, Jaune completely lost sight of them after a couple of minutes. And while he would have typically just called them, he forgot his scroll in the dorm as they were in a rush. And judging by how the ground shook slightly, and not because of the people partying, Jaune knew it was unwise to return to Beacon. Sighing, he moved to a nearby bench that was somehow still intact and empty.

"Great. Now what?" Jaune asked himself as he pondered his next move. While he could try and find the others, he knew it was too much of a longshot. The best he could do would be to try and find another location to lay low until his friends found him or until he believed Coco calmed down enough to listen to him. "But where should I go?"

"Definitely not a coffee shop or clothes store." A voice answered, startling him.

"Velvet?" Jaune asked, surprised to see her here.

"That's me." Velvet said, smiling as she sat next to Jaune. However, it took an incredible amount of will for her not to become a stuttering mess and to appear casual.

"What are you doing here?" Jaune asked before realizing that may have come out wrong. "I-it's not that I d-don't mind seeing you. B-but I thought-"

"Thought that I was at Beacon trying to calm down Coco?"

"Y-yes. Sorry if that came out wrong." Jaune said, blushing.

"It's fine. I would have asked the same thing if I were in your position." Velvet assured while trying to calm her beating heart down. It was racing from being so close to her crush. For a moment, Velvet had to remind herself that she was here for a reason and not to ask her crush out on a date, even though she knew her leader would become his future wife due to the arranged marriage.

"So, uh. Did you manage to calm Coco down?"

"No. Fox and I caught up to her, but we failed to calm her down. We tried to do so again, but she realized you weren't at Beacon and took a bullhead here."

"Oh, this isn't good. Do you know where she is? And what about Fox?" Jaune asked, worried.

"Fox is back at Beacon. He's in our dorm cleaning up some of the mess and volunteered to help Glynda clean up some of the destruction Coco caused. As for Coco, I don't know where she is exactly, but I know where she is heading."

"Where?"

"The same place Yatshuhasi was taking you and the rest of your team."

"WHAT!?"

"Yeah. We all know the place, but we don't go there often. That's why Yatshuhasi planned on bringing all of you there."

"WE HAVE-"

"Don't worry about your friends, Jaune. Coco is after you and not your friends. And besides, Yatshuhasi can easily handle Coco. But I highly doubt that it would come to that point."

"That's a relief."

"But that doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet. Coco is still mad and after you."

"Right. I need to find a place to hide." Jaune said, placing his head in his palms.

"Don't worry, Jaune. That's why I came to find you. To warn you that Coco knows where you are heading and to take you someplace else. Somewhere where she hopefully won't find us."

"Thanks, Velvet." Jaune said, smiling, causing Velvet to blush bright red like a tomato.

"N-no problem." Velvet said, looking away.

"So, where is it?"

"Follow me."

Nodding, Jaune got up and followed Velvet away from the crowds. But as they did, Jaune made a mental note to find this place when it was daytime and to find a payphone to call his friends and tell them they were okay. Yet, as they left, they failed to notice a pair of eyes following them. Once they were satisfied, they left to inform their boss about what they found.

Ten Minutes Later

"So. Uh. How was your day?" Jaune asked, unsure of what to say. While he didn't mind the silence, he felt like he needed to say something.

"It was fine. A little tiresome but otherwise, alright." Velvet answered, glad that Jaune had started a conversation. But also internally cursed when she gave a curt answer. Thankfully, it seemed like Jaune had an idea of how to continue the conversation until they arrived.

"Any plans for the vacation?"

'Not that question. Okay. Play it cool, Velvet. And maybe, once this is done, you can ask him out.' Velvet thought, thankfully not blushing. "Not really. Maybe my team will go out and spend the day together. But that is if Glynda doesn't give Coco the detention of a lifetime."

"Yeah. I bet Goodwitch was furious."

"She was." Velvet chuckled. "Anyway. What about you?"

"Well, I'm not sure either, considering I was not expecting the arranged marriages. But if nothing else comes up, I might go and visit my parents with my teammates." Jaune said, accidentally slipping up.

"Wait. What? Marriages? As in more than one?" Velvet asked, shocked and wondering if she heard right. But, internally, she wondered and slightly hoped that she was one of the contracts if it was true.

"Ah, no. Uh, no. One. Just one marriage. A simple slip of the tongue." Jaune quickly said, hoping Velvet would not call his bluff.

"Oh. I thought so. I can't imagine what it would be like to marry multiple people because of an arranged marriage, let alone ones you don't know too well."

'You don't know the half of it. I just hope you don't freak out when I tell you that you're one of the people I'm going to marry in an arranged marriage.' Jaune nervously thought, thankfully able to keep a blush from forming on his face. However, it did form when he saw a sign he wasn't expecting. "Uh, Velvet."

"Yes?"

"Is this the place?" Jaune asked, pointing to the sign. Looking toward where he was pointing, Velvet blushed furiously.

It was the sign of a Love Hotel.

"W-what? No. T-that's not it. The place is a few blocks down." Velvet stuttered.

"Oh. Okay." Jaune said, relieved.

"Yeah. I didn't even know this place was here."

"Maybe it recently opened."

"Probably." Velvet said while making a mental note to find this place's website so she could book a date for her and Jaune. Well, after they get into a relationship.

"Are you okay, Velvet?" Jaune asked, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Your face became all red all of a sudden."

"Oh. I'm fine. My mind just went to Coco and how she would have teased me relentlessly if she saw this place."

"I take it she loves to tease you."

"Oh, you have no idea. Any chance she has to tease me, she takes it. You can't begin to imagine what's it like to be on the receiving end of someone who loves to tease you."

"Oh contraire, Velvet. I grew up with seven sisters. I know what's it like to be on the receiving end of constant teasing." Jaune said, surprising Velvet.

"SEVEN SISTERS!"

"Yup. My parents always wanted a big family." Jaune said, smiling. 'But the family is about to get a lot bigger because of the contracts.'

"And now they got it." Velvet said, blushing at the thought of having some kids in the future with Jaune. While Velvet wasn't sure how many she wanted, she knew she wanted a lot. But first things first, they needed to get into a relationship first. But that was if Jaune returned her feelings or was willing to date her.

"Yup." Jaune chuckled.

"Anyway. We're here." Velvet said as they stopped in front of a two-story building.

"Uh?" Jaune asked, confused, as what was in front of him was a motel.

"Don't worry, Jaune. The owner is an old family friend. He lets me stay here whenever I need to get away from Beacon life for a while." Velvet said, smiling.

"Alright." Jaune said, still usnure.

"Come on." Grabbing Jaune's hand, Velvet led Jaune inside the motel. And once they entered, Jaune noticed that it was surprisingly furbished.

"Wow." Jaune said, surpsied. While he hadn't been to too many motels, most of them had been in terrible condition. This one gave off a homey feeling.

"That was my reaction too."

"Velvet? Is that you?" A voice asked.

"Is that-" Jaune began before trailing off when he spotted the tall, muscular male behind the counter. He had an eyepatch on his right eye, a white sailor cap, a pipe in his mouth, and tattoos on his forearms.

"Hey, Douglas." Velvet said, smiling.

"Hey, Velvet. Glad to see you again." Douglas said before turning to Jaune. "And who's this?"

"This is Jaune. He's a friend from Beacon."

"Alright." Douglas said, eyeing Jaune, causing him to become nervous. "Anyway. Why are you here, Velvet?"

"We need a place to lay low because of... things. Honestly, it's a little hard to believe. We just need a place to stay for the night."

"Okay. You two can head to your usual room. It's all set and ready. But no funny business, or else." Douglas warned Jaune.

"Right. You don't need to worry." Jaune nervously said.

"Good. If you need me, I'll be in my office." Douglas said before leaving.

"Uh-"

"Don't worry about him, Jaune. He's just slightly protective of me." Velvet assured.

"Right." Jaune said, unconvinced.

"Let's head to the room." Velvet said as she led him to their room.

Five Minutes Later

"So, uh. What now?" Jaune asked as he looked around the room. It was a relatively simple room.

There were two twin-sized beds, a tv, a closet, and a bathroom with a shower. But Jaune quickly saw a problem arise. While he was used to sleeping with others, considering he shared a room with his team and grew up with seven sisters, Jaune was unsure about sleeping in the same room as Velvet. And there were two reasons for this. The first was that he barely knew Velvet. And the second was Coco, as he didn't want any more miscommunications tonight. Honestly, he already had enough to last a lifetime.

"We rest a bit. Maybe a watch a movie and then head to sleep. By tomorrow, Coco would mostly likely be calm enough for us to explain everything." Velvet answered as she sat on her bed.

"Hopefully, she doesn't find us until tomorrow. I could use some sleep." Jaune said. However, no soon than he said this, a chilling voice caught their attention.

"Too late for that, blondie." The voice said. Turning to where it came from, Velvet and Jaune saw Coco standing next to a closed and locked exit.

"COCO!?" Velvet asked, shocked to see her leader here.

"Hey, bun-bun." Coco said in a strangely calm tone that sent shivers down Jaune's spine.

"How did you find us?"

"We've been teammates for nearly a year and a half now. Not to mention, I'm your friend and team leader. You don't think I wouldn't have been curious or concerned every time you left Beacon for the weekend when something happened?" Coco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Reminds me a lot of Amber." Jaune quietly said but went silent when Coco glared at him.

"Oh, right." Velvet said, surprised she forgot how caring Coco was of her teammates.

"Now, if you will excuse me, Velvet. I need to have a LONG talk with Arc." Coco said, cracking her knuckles.

"W-wait." Jaune nervously said, holding up his hands. While he might have gotten better at fighting thanks to Pyrrha, Nora, and occasionally Yang, Jaune knew he was no match for Coco. Although, he wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse that Coco didn't have her weapon on her.

"Any last words, Arc?" Coco asked, reaching Jaune, grabbing his shirt, and lifting him off the floor. And because of how close they were, Jaune could smell her perfume. And, honestly, he wasn't surprised that it was latte scented.

"C-can we j-just talk about this beforehand?"

"What's there to talk about? YOU PROBABLY DERAILED MY LIFE WITH THIS CONTRACT!" Coco shouted before punching the wall right next to Jaune's head, leaving a sizable hole.

"That's a pretty big claim." Jaune said, surprised Coco thought that. But then again, he couldn't blame her. After all, Jaune thought the same until Pyrrha and Nora convinced him otherwise. And even after their talk, he still felt like that a little bit. "But I didn't even know about the contracts until two days ago. Heck, I didn't know who you were or that you existed until two months ago. That probably came out wrong."

"No. It came out mostly right." Velvet said, thinking it over. While it might have seemed harsh, it was true. They didn't know Jaune's name until about a month and a half ago. Well, for the others, anyway. Velvet learned about him the second month into the year, although she would never admit to that.

"She's right. But still, a month is more than enough." Coco growled.

"Maybe. But I HAD NO PART IN THEM!" Jaune shouted, hoping it would get through to Coco.

"He's right, Coco. Not only did he have no part in them, he didn't know about them at all." Velvet added.

"I doubt that." Coco growled as she raised her fist with the intent to punch Jaune in the face and through the wall.

"WAIT!" Velvet shouted.

"What is it, Velvet?" Coco asked, turning to her. Instead of answering, Velvet showed her the marriage contract between her and Jaune.

"The marriage contract between you and Jaune. It fell out of his pocket when he stepped back."

"Let me see that." Coco said, swiping the contract before turning back to Jaune and letting him go. "My mom only told me about this marriage contract a few hours ago. When, where, and how did you get this already?"

"Like I said, I only learned about these two days ago. And I learned about them when I received them in a letter from the Vale City's Clerk's Office." Jaune answered.

"The Vale City's Clerk's Office?" Coco asked, confused and slightly surprised. "Your family didn't give you the contract?"

"Yeah. I was packing up some things to send to my family and sisters. And after dropping them off in the mailroom, I picked up my team's mail. After sorting through them, I found the letter from Vale City's Clerk's Office that contained the contracts."

"And what did you think when you first saw the contract?" Coco asked as she looked over the contract. While she might not be as familiar with contracts as some people that major in them in different schools, she does have enough experience to find loopholes and sneaky clauses.

"I thought they were fake."

"Fake?" Velvet asked, confused.

"Yeah, fake. I thought my sister, Esmerelda, was playing a prank on me again. She loves playing pranks on the family, but more specifically, me. And she's excellent at forging papers. Honestly, it's a shocker that she didn't go into the forensics field or something similar since they could really use her skills." Jaune explained.

"But how did you find out there weren't?" Coco asked.

"Was it the seals?" Velvet asked.

"No. Well, partially. But what made me doubt that Esmerelda made them were the signatures. Esmerelda doesn't have the greatest penmanship, and my parents use a very fine cursive. So fine that it's kind of hard to read."

"Yeah. I see that. Their names are Auro and Josh?" Coco asked, impressed at the penmanship. While she hadn't finished reading the contract, she looked down at the signature out of curiosity. And during her time at Beacon, Coco had seen terrible and excellent penmanship. But this. This was something else. She could hardly make any of the letters out.

"No. My mom's name is Aurelia, and my father's name is Jett."

"Continue."

"After seeing the signatures, I called my parents."

"What did they say?" Velvet asked, curious.

"They tried to skirt around it and act like they didn't know about it. But they told me they knew about it and that the contracts were made about a decade ago or more."

"A decade ago?" Velvet asked, surprised.

"Yup."

"Did they try ever try to cancel them?"

"They did. But they said both parties must consent to cancel the contract in for the contract to be null. But while my parents wanted to cancel it, they said all the others didn't."

"Wow." Velvet said, shocked.

"Yeah."

"What do you think, Coco?" Velvet asked, turning to her leader. But she became slightly worried when she noticed Coco with a guilty expression on her face. "Coco?"

"It's a lot to take in. But it seems like Arc is right." Coco sheepishly said.

"How so?"

"My mom is always cautious. Whenever she makes an agreement with someone or some company, she always wants it in writing so she can make it favor her or so she can escape it in case things go south. But she always writes it in such a way that most wouldn't see it unless they know what they are looking for. And I found the clause that would nullify the contract if things didn't turn out how she envisioned. And it's worded exactly how she would have done it."

"Reall?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"Yes. It says, and I quote: Once both parties reach the agreed-upon age, the male will undergo third-party evaluations to avoid biased outcomes and to determine if the male has retained/achieved the values the Adel family wanted. If the outcome values have been attained/retained, the marriage will proceed. If not, the marriage contract will be nullified, and both parties will go forward as if nothing has ever happened."

"Oh, wow. I didn't know that. Nor did I know that I was evaluated at some point." Jaune said, surprised.

"My mother probably called in some favors for that part. And they probably spied on you from far away for a while." Coco explained. "But this, along with what you said, means that you had no part in it. Sorry, Arc."

"It's...fine. Honestly, I kind of expected it. And I don't blame you for wanting to strangle me." Jaune said.

"Strangle you? I didn't know you had that kink, Arc." Coco said, smirking, causing both Velvet and Jaune to blush furiously.

"W-what? I-I d-don't-"

"Calm down, Arc. I'm just messing with you. I couldn't help myself making that joke."

"Okay." Jaune said, calming down. "And you don't need to call me by my last name. You can call me Jaune if you want."

"I prefer Arc since we aren't on a first-name basis yet. But you can still call me Coco if you want." Coco said.

"True. And thanks."

"But anyway. I'm sorry I chased you and nearly ended your life in a blind fit of rage when you had no part in it."

"It's fine, Coco. Like I said, I expected it, to be honest. And I'm pretty sure the others would do the same. This is something that can derail anyone's life and make them feel like you did. And I would be genuinely shocked if one wouldn't be surprised or furious." Jaune said while mentally, including the exception of Pyrrha and Nora.

"True." Coco sighed. "I just can't believe my mother gave me away like this."

"I don't think-"

"Wait. That reminds me." Velvet interjected, getting their attention.

"What is it, Bun-Bun?" Coco asked.

"After you left the dorm to try and find Jaune, you left your scroll behind. And your mom was still on the line. She asked us to tell you to call her once you calmed down. She said she wanted to explain to you everything and fix how she said it."

"Oh, shit. I forgot about her. I got so angry that I didn't bother listening to everything she said." Coco said, now slightly worried and guilty for not letting her mother finish. "I should call her, but I don't have my scroll on me."

"That's alright. I brought it with me." Velvet said, handing Coco her scroll.

"Thanks, Velvet. I'll be right back. I need to make this call." Coco said before exiting the room.

"That was too close." Jaune said once the door closed.

"It was. But luckily, Coco calmed down once she realized you had no part of it." Velvet agreed.

"Yeah." Jaune said, shifting uncomfortably. "So, uh-"

"How about we watch something on the TV while we wait for Coco to finish her call? Then we can figure out what to do next."

"Sure." Jaune answered while mentally wondering when he could tell Velvet she was also going to marry him in an arranged marriage.

Fifteen Minutes Later

"Alright. Sorry it took so long. My mom had a lot to tell me." Coco said as she entered the room and closed the door behind her.

"It's fine." Velvet said as they paused the movie.

"How did it go?" Jaune asked.

"Well. It went better than I expected. And my mom wanted to make sure I understood completely why she did this." Coco said as she sat down next to Velvet.

"And?" Velvet asked.

"It's a lot. While I understand why she did this, I don't entirely agree with this. I honestly would have preferred to find someone myself."

"If that's the case, maybe we can nullify the contract." Jaune suggested.

"How?" Velvet asked, confused.

"In the contract, it said that if I don't meet or have the values, then the contract would be void. Maybe we can do something so that it seems like I don't have those values. That way, the marriage doesn't have to go through."

"That could-"

"That won't work." Coco interjected.

"Why?" Velvet asked.

"To keep it simple, my mother put in a condition where neither party can tell their kids. That way, WE, can't do something to try and mess with it or try to nullify it. Basically, even if we try Arc's plan, it won't work because our parents would know something is up. And the date is already agreed upon, so doing this won't affect anything."

"I wasn't expecting that." Velvet said before lighting up. "What about a divorce? After you two get married, you can file for a divorce."

"That would entirely depend on Coco." Jaune said, confusing Velvet.

"What do you mean?"

"Well. Every kingdom, village, and possibly family has different views of marriage and divorce. Mine is pretty open-minded about them. However, not all families are like that. And most of the time, there is a heavy negative stigma associated with divorce. And the last thing I want is for Coco to go through with that. I don't care if that happens to me; I just don't want Coco or the others to suffer from that stigma."

"Wow. You always put others before you, Arc. Most would not have cared about the other." Coco said, impressed.

"It's the right thing to do. While it might backfire at times, I rather deal with the consequences than let others suffer."

"Now that's nice."

"Is there a stigma for divorce in your family, Coco?" Velvet asked.

"Not really. There were some families in the town I grew up in that had something like that. But there were none in my family." Coco answered after thinking it over. "But I don't think a divorce would solve anything since my mom will probably just do it again."

"So what do you want to do?" Jaune asked, curious.

"I'm not sure. But for now, let's just let it happen. Honestly, at the very least, I know your name and know that you're a Beacon student, albeit a not-so-good one. No offense."

"None taken." Jaune chuckled.

"But still. I think it's better to marry someone that you at least know their name rather than somebody you know nothing about. Again, no offense if there was any in there."

"I don't think there was. But either way, I'm with you. It's better someone that you somewhat know rather than a mysterious figure." Jaune agreed. "But. Uh. What should- How should we proceed? And what about after the marriage?"

"I'm not sure. But we could at least try to be friends instead of people we heard of. And maybe after the marriage, uh, we can be slightly better friends. Sorry, but that's all that is coming to my mind at the moment. Maybe something better will come down the road, but for now, that's all I got."

"Yeah. Same." Jaune said before muttering. "And hopefully, the others will think the same."

"What was that, Jaune?" Velvet asked, taken aback by what she heard.

"Uh. Nothing. I said nothing." Jaune quickly answered.

"No, you definitely said something along the lines of some others thinking the same." Velvet said. "Who are the others?"

"N-no one. I don't know no others."

"Wait. I just realized something." Coco said, causing Jaune to stiffen.

"What's that?"

"A couple of times, you said others. You also used the plural form a couple of times with the contract. And you also never said contract; you always said contracts." Coco answered. "What's going on, Arc?"

"Something that both Ren from my team and your teammate, Yatshuhasi, told me." Jaune answered as he reached for the contracts. But before he could pull them out, Velvet's scroll went off.

"I wonder who's calling me?" Velvet asked as she took out her scroll. However, she smiled when she realized who was calling her. "MOM!"

'Hi, sweety. How's my precious little cinnamon bun?' Meg Scarlatina asked.

"I'm doing great."

"Should we exit the room?" Jaune quietly asked Coco. Coco raised her hand, but before she could say anything, Meg spoke up.

'Is that Coco, dear?'

"Yes, mom. Coco's here with me."

"Hello, Ms. Scarlatina." Coco said.

'Hello, Coco. How have you been?'

"Well. That's a bit tough to answer. But I would say not... bad."

'Well, hopefully, everything gets better. But, uh, dear. Did I also hear a boy's voice?' Meg asked. But the tone made Velvet worried for her mother.

"Yes. But mom, is everything alright?" Velvet asked.

'Answer me this first. Is he a friend or something more?'

"He's a friend." Velvet answered. And for a moment, Jaune wondered why Velvet sounded downtrodden at that. "Why?"

'Well, you see, dear. There is something your father and I did a while back before we split up. And it involves you.'

"What did you do?" Velvet asked, curious.

'Well. Keep in mind that we did this for you, Velvet. We wanted you to have a beautiful life and a happy marriage with someone that can give you the life you deserve. And possibly a lot of children. But we were worried that something might happen or someone might pressure you into an unhappy marriage. We couldn't bear to see that happening. So we agreed to do something about it.'

"A-and w-what's that?" Velvet asked, worried while feeling her heart break slightly at the thought of never being able to be with her crush.

'Your father called up some childhood friends that he was still in contact with. He said they were great people and were some of the most respectable people out there that even Ghira Belladonna, the chieftain of Menagerie, would like them. When I heard this, I didn't believe him. But once I met them, his words didn't do them justice about how nice, respectable, and humble they are.'

"A-and?"

'We put you into an arranged marriage with them. And the other party should have or will soon receive the marriage contract.' As soon as Velvet heard this, Velvet felt her whole world shatter.

"Uh. Who is the person Velvet is going to marry?" Coco asked when she noticed that Velvet was still stiff as a board. And she didn't need any words or signs to know that Velvet felt devastated at the moment.

'The boy's name is Arc. Jaune Arc.'

"WHAT!?" Coco asked, shocked and slightly furious again. But shock and confusion quickly overcame furious. While she had heard about polyamorous relationships and arranged marriages before, Coco had never heard of multiple arranged marriages with the same guy. And she also wondered why her mother didn't mention this. 'Just another question I have to ask her and Jaune later.'

'Yes. His name is-'

"YES!" Velvet cheered, surprising everyone. However, once she remembered she wasn't alone, Velvet blushed and sat back down.

'I take it you know who Jaune is, dear.'

"Yes. He's a friend. He is also a huntsman-in-training. Although he is a year below me."

'That's great, dear. It really is that you know him. Now, it won't be as awkward.' Meg said. And even though they were talking over their scrolls, she could tell that her daughter had a big crush on Jaune. But it was also enough for Coco to know that it was Jaune that Velvet was crushing on.

"Uh. Would he know about the marriage?" Coco asked, eyeing Jaune, who was shifting uncomfortably.

'Yes. His parents messaged me and the others that he received the letters from Vale's City Clerk's office. Granted, we wished they would have sent it earlier, but I guess even in Vale, the mail is inefficient beyond belief. And in case you were wondering why we waited so long to tell any of you, we all agreed to wait until everyone is of age and the Clerk's Office sent the letters.'

"Yeah, that's true about the mail. But what did you mean by others? How many are there in total?" Coco asked, curious. While she wouldn't admit it yet, she was slightly worried for Arc as he seemed like the guy who would give it his all in a relationship. And if there were a lot, he could burn himself out trying to make everyone happy.

'Well, including you, Coco, and Velvet, there are a total of eighteen contracts.'

"EIGHTEEN!?" Velvet and Coco shouted, shocked. Turning to Jaune, they saw him nod while taking out some of the contracts.

'Yes.'

"Wait. How did you know I was one of them?" Coco asked.

'Oh. That's easy. Well, somewhat easy. While we don't know all of the other parties personally, we know their names and their daughters. And when Velvet told me who was on her team last year, I instantly recognized your last name and that you were one of the people that will be marrying Jaune Arc.'

"So, we're all going to be marrying Jaune Arc."

'Pretty much. But all the families have their own reasons for this. Although I do believe one or two of them were similar to my reason. But I'm not too sure.'

"Well. This is... something." Coco said, trying to process this while feeling that her reason to be furious was now even less warranted. Yes, she did feel like her life was derailed because of the arranged marriage. But once Coco calmed down, she figured they could somewhat make it work and act like they weren't married and be just friends living under one roof. However, Coco felt like Jaune could now deservingly say that his life was derailed, considering how many he would be marrying.

'Yeah. It's never been done before. But I'm confident all of you can make it work. And if Jaune can handle growing up with seven mischievous sisters, I'm sure he can handle this. Anyway, I have to go now. Talk to you later, sweetie. Bye.'

*Click*

Silence.

"Uh." Jaune said, unsure of what to say to break the silence.

"I pity you, Arc. I mean it. I genuinely feel sorry for you." Coco said.

"Uh, thanks... I guess?"

"So how are you going to do this? And do you know any of them?"

"I have no idea. And I know a few of them. They are Team Rwby, Nora and Pyrrha from my team, and you and Velvet. Everyone else, I don't know. And I think two of them are technically criminals."

"Do any know about this?"

"Well, Pyrrha and Nora know about it. The others, I'm not sure. But they should be receiving the news soon."

"How did they take it?"

"Far better than I expected. And some... really nice revelations came from it." Jaune answered. And the blush was all Coco needed to know what Jaune meant by nice revelations.

"Well, good luck to you." Coco said before turning to Velvet, who still seemed to be radiating with joy. "I take it Jaune was the one you had a crush on, Velv."

"YES!" Velvet shouted before blushing furiously. She then sat back down before replying in a meek voice. "Yes."

"What do you think of Velvet, Arc?" Coco asked, eyeing him as she reverted back to being protective of Velvet.

"Well. She is a good friend... I guess." Jaune answered before quickly adding. "She's great and nice. But remember, we don't know each other that well, if at all."

"Be lucky that is true; otherwise, you'd be in the ground right now."

"B-but that could change, right, Jaune?" Velvet asked, feeling torn between being devastated and acknowledging that Jaune was right. She only knew a few things about Jaune, while he only knew her name and that she was a second-year student that used to get bullied. While it could be argued that some people had gone on dates before without knowing much about their partner, they still knew SOMETHING about them. And that could not be said about her and Jaune.

"Of course. Anything can change with time." Jaune said after carefully choosing his words.

"True." Coco agreed while wondering what she should do next.

Coco did say that she would help Velvet get together with her crush after finding out who it was and if they met her standards. But that just got a lot more complicated, primarily because of the marriage contract. However, that did not mean she wouldn't evaluate Jaune to see if he was worthy of dating her best friend. It didn't matter what others thought; Coco needed to see FIRSTHAND if Jaune was good enough for Velvet. And if he weren't, well, she would find a way to get Velvet out of the contract. But if he were, then Coco would give them her 'blessing' and maybe help them get closer together. Well, if Jaune eventually returned her feelings. That is IF he knew what was good for him.

However, where did that leave her? While she wouldn't mind getting into a relationship and possibly sharing the person with her bun-bun, this wasn't how she wanted to get into one. But seventeen others, she wasn't sure about that, let alone if the others were WILLING to share. Some might be jealous and try to sabotage the marriages or try to find a way to keep Arc to themselves. However, there was another thing. And, as Coco told Arc a few moments ago, SHE wanted to be the one to find and get into a relationship on her own terms. While Jaune was a nice guy, from what she had heard at least, he didn't seem to be her type, although that could be because she didn't know anything about him. And, like he said, that could change over time. But Coco doubted it. Nevertheless, she could at least give it a chance.

'It might not work out, but at least we could become good friends, which would make things less awkward once we get married. But I should be grateful that Mom chose someone that's nice and has morals. I could have easily ended up with someone that's sleazy and an ass like Cardin or some of the people we met on missions.' Coco thought.

"Coco? Are you okay?" Jaune asked, sounding worried.

"Huh? What was that?" Coco asked, snapping back to focus.

"You were gone for a moment. Is everything okay?" Velvet asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just something on my mind."

"The marriage?" Jaune asked.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it."

"Alright. But if you ever need help, I'm willing to lend a hand or an ear."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So, what now?" Velvet asked.

"There's still a lot to go over. But I think we should leave that for later." Jaune answered with a yawn.

"Later? Don't you mean tomorrow?" Coco asked.

"I would say yes, but it is already tomorrow." Jaune said, pointing to the clock next to the TV that read 2:00 AM.

"Wow, it's late. We better get back to Beacon." Coco said, shocked that it was already the next day.

"Yeah. Glynda is going to be furious that we're out past curfew." Jaune added, not looking forward to the potential detention.

"Curfew? There's no- Oh, right. I somehow forgot you're a first-year student." Coco said.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll let you in on a little secret, Jaune. There is no curfew." Velvet answered.

"Really?" Jaune asked, surprised.

"Yup. That's just something the faculty tells first-year students, so there are no late-night parties, and they can actually get some proper rest. But don't let that fool you. If any of the teachers learn that you were up late last night without a good reason, they will make you suffer for it the next day." Coco answered.

"I can imagine." Jaune said, glad he still followed the sleep schedule his mother put him on when he was younger. "But I should probably not tell my teammates that."

"Why not?" Coco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Pyrrha and Ren both try to fall asleep early so they can have a full eight hours of sleep. However, Nora tries to stay up as late as she can. And she only follows the curfew because she doesn't want to get in trouble with Glynda."

"I guess we both got lucky since my team follows the curfew I set, and you only have one that begrudgingly follows it." Coco said.

"True."

"But anyway. We should probably get going-" Coco began but stopped when Velvet's scroll went off again.

"Who is it this time?" Jaune asked.

"It's Fox." Velvet answered. "Hello."

'Velvet. Did you find Jaune?'

"Yes, we found Jaune. And he's still alive."

'That's good. What about Coco?'

"Long story short, she's calmed down. And she knows it's not Jaune's fault."

'Good. Where are you?'

"We're in a motel room that Velvet room at the moment. And it's not what you think." Coco answered.

'Alright.'

"Is everything okay on your end, Fox?" Velvet asked.

'More or less. I just finished fixing our dorm.'

"That's good." Coco said. "Anyway. We're heading back now. We'll see you soon."

'Uh. You might want to stay there for the night.'

"Why?" Velvet asked.

'Let's just say Glynda is the most furious we've seen her this month. Ozpin even had to ask Peach to make something to calm her down. You should probably stay at the motel room for the night and return when Glynda calms down; otherwise, things might not end well. And when you return, you should probably get ready for a long detention.'

"I'm not looking forward to it. But I deserve it." Coco said with a sigh. "Anyway. Thanks for telling us. We'll see you tomorrow."

'Alright. Good night.' Fox said before ending the call.

"I'm not looking forward to that." Coco said, rubbing her face.

"Maybe we can try and explain it once Glynda calms down, so it won't be as bad." Jaune suggested.

"It doesn't hurt to try, but I doubt it will work." Coco said with a yawn.

"So, how should we make this work?" Velvet asked.

"Make what work?" Jaune asked.

"The sleeping arrangement."

"Oh, that's easy. You and Coco get the beds. And I'll sleep on the chair."

"Really?" Coco asked.

"What? You two deserve to be comfortable. Velvet helped me, so it's the least I can do. And I caused you enough trouble, so."

"You know we... can possibly ask Douglas for another mattress or sleeping bag." Velvet began before remembering Coco wouldn't allow her to share a bed with Jaune. Well, at least not yet.

"It's fine." Jaune said.

"That can't be comfortable." Coco said.

"It's not. But I'm used to it."

"Really? How?"

"Let's just say some... antics from my team and my sisters back home caused us to... improvise our sleeping arrangments. And let's leave it at that." Jaune explained, remembering the times Nora, his team, and/or Team Rwby accidentally destroyed a part of the dorm or their beds.

"Alright. But no funny business, Arc." Coco warned.

"Right." Jaune said, getting slightly annoyed at the question but understanding the reason behind it. Getting up, he stretched before heading to the bathroom to freshen up. Once he was done, Velvet and Coco took their turns. After everyone was done, Coco and Velvet got into their beds while Jaune turned off the lights before heading to his chair and sitting down. Although, he did make a mental note to call his friends first thing in the morning. But as sleep started to take him, he could have sworn that Velvet took out a doll that weirdly resembled him. Thinking that his weary mind was playing tricks on him, Jaune decided to ignore it and close his eyes before falling asleep.

Notes:

Coco's anger came from misunderstanding and shock rather than pure anger.