Another day, another chapter. You could probably tell from the last chapter we're wrapping up the misunderstanding relationship storyline so I can focus on the main stories. Like Jaune dealing with Nightmares and falling for Cinder. You know, the important things. Took a bit to think of some new dreams for people, so if anyone has some ideas for people, feel free to send them to me. Funny and serious dreams are both appreciated. Not everything should be a nightmare, though that doesn't mean there can't be some underlying issues. After all, even within canon, most of the people in RWBY have some inner demons. Anyone, I hope you all enjoy the chapter.
Thanks to NeoShadows for Betaing.
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Ruby woke up with a pleasant yawn on her lips, hands rubbing the grogginess from her blurry eyes as she sat up. Joints popped as she stretched her arms up high as another yawn escaped her.
Weird. She hadn't expected to have such a good night's sleep considering last night's conversation.
To no one's surprise, Blake had caught on to Team RWBY's cold shoulder to Jaune. It was rather glaring for most of Beacon to see the typically close-knit members of RWBY, especially Ruby, giving the goofy knight icy glares, huffs, rude looks, and all but ignoring him whenever he showed up. Even the bully Cardin had a strange look on his face at their behavior, which should have said something about how they were treating their good friend (or, in Ruby's case, her best friend).
Suspicion aroused, Blake had finally put down her book. Which was either a good thing, or a bad thing. Depending on whether or not the words White and Fang were together.
For meek team leader Ruby, it was a bad thing.
While Weiss and Yang had gone to sleep, Ruby had been up a little later than usual. Being the not-so-smartest person outside of designing high-quality mech-shift weaponry and being skipped two years ahead of schedule to her dream school (meaning, to her shock, there were gaps to her knowledge) she had to put in some extra studying. She grumbled at the fact she had to be up past 9pm, on a school night, and grabbed some textbooks, pencils, paper, and whatever study aids she could steal from Weiss to go over some extra work Professor Oobleck was nice enough to provide.
Thoughts heavy and eyes fluttering with a thick book on Team RWBY's studying desk, Ruby was completely unaware of the cat-eared ninja huntress sneaking up behind her tiny back. She nearly leaped out of her chair when the stoic-amber-eyed girl poked her shoulder.
By the time Blake was telling her to calm down and not scream, Ruby was already blabbering away. It really didn't take much pressure to get her to spill the beans on why she, Weiss, and Yang seemed to be upset with Jaune. Whatever weak excuses she had on her lips at first crumbled away. So, she sang like a canary to the cat-girl's hungry eyes.
Jaune and Blake's secret relationship, Jaune's unfaithfulness, Cinder, everything. She spilled it all to the expressionless girl, who was being told her sweet boyfriend was cheating on her with some sexy foreign huntress with smoldering eyes. Once everything was said and done, Blake appeared surprised as she mentally compiled everything together. To Ruby's disbelief, she hadn't broken down, grown angry, or even cursed at the betrayal. All she said was:
"Don't worry, Ruby. I'll take care of it."
Blake was always so reliable so Ruby didn't have reason to doubt her. Her friend simply told her to get some sleep, gently pat her back, and proceeded to step out of the room. Ruby had nodded off soon after, mind heavy, tired, and worn out, so she had crawled to her bed. Sleep came easily the second her eyes had shut.
Ruby scratched her scalp, the memory of last night playing as she dangled her feet over the edge of her bed.
"Blake's always been the more mature one of us all. I'm sure she's got this handled. So, I shouldn't worry, right?"
Positive. She had to be positive. Blake and Jaune were her friends, so she had faith they could work this out as reasonable adults.
The morning was looking up and she was sure everyone would end up happy. Jumping out of bed, Ruby opened the blinds and looked around her room. Yang and Weiss were still sound asleep like normal, neither of them were morning people. Blake was sometimes up and reading, but when Ruby's eyes fell on her bed and saw it empty, she began to panic. Last night, she clearly remembered Blake stepping out. To do what, she had no idea.
She…wouldn't do anything drastic, would she?
Paranoia arose and made all logic null and void.
"YANG!" Ruby shouted. "WEISS! Blake's missing!"
Weiss growled when her sound sleep was ruined by a shrill shout as she pulled her blanket over her head.
"Ruby, what did we tell you about waking us up this early!"
"But Blake's gone!" Ruby gasped. "She might have run away!" Suddenly something clicked in her mind like her brain had been sleeping on it all night. "Or gone off to kill Jaune!"
"Huh?" Yang rubbed her eyes and sat up before looking over the edge of her bunk bed. Unkept and knotted locks of gold fell over her shoulder and into her mouth, causing her to blow the curtain of lovely yellow aside as she spoke, "You sure she's not in the bathroom or gone for a walk? It's not that strange, Rubes."
"And why would she be killing Jaune?" Weiss asked, finally getting up herself.
"I… might have told her Jaune was cheating on her…" Ruby mumbled, tapping the tip of two fingers together. "Last night, Blake was wondering why we were mad at Jaune. Sooooo, I kinda, might have, maybe, sorta, possibly, likely told her everything."
Yang and Weiss stared at her as their morning brains took a moment to process things. Like a jolt of electricity from poking at the exposed wire, their minds lit back up.
"Ruby… you didn't…" Weiss facepalmed. "You're the one who wanted to give Jaune the chance to confess. Why else do you think we've kept a tight lip whenever he asks us why we were treating him harshly?"
"But Blake seemed really persistent and wasn't falling for anything else!" Ruby waved her arms wildly. "I tried! Honest! But she used her sly ninja techniques to get me to spill everything."
"Guess we have to go look for her, then" Yang grumbled with eyes honed in on the bathroom.
"Or find the dead body," Weiss added as she tried to joke about the situation.
"Please, if Blake killed someone, she definitely hid the body so it wouldn't be found." Yang scoffed. "She's that good. Plus, we live by a Grimm-infested forest. Pretty sure those monsters make getting rid of a body child's play."
"Blake wouldn't kill him!" Ruby shook her head as she stamped her foot stubbornly. "She might slap him… but that's it. Or tie him up."
"You just suggested she'd kill him, not us. And why are you suggesting bondage? What have you been reading?"
Boom!
The three girls turned as they heard a thump against their dorm room door. It was too heavy to be a simple knock. Something much heavier must have struck it. Shuffling could be heard from the otherside.
"What was that?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know."
Ruby went to check out the sound. She put her hand on the doorknob and was about to turn it when she heard hushed voices on the other side. Instantly, she froze, recognizing both of them. Gesturing with her free hand to Yang and Weiss, Ruby urgently pleaded for them to listen too. Yang and Weiss shared a quick confused glance, remaining quiet as their leader put her finger to her lips to hush their own voices. The two people on the other side of the door were talking softly, but close enough to make out, meaning there wasn't any need for the cliche ears to the door to make out what was being said.
"...and that's why they were upset with you." Blake's voice came from the other side. "They thought you were trying to cheat on me with Cinder. Which, considering how things had looked between all three of us, I can see why they had believed that."
Ruby had to press both of her hands over her mouth to avoid gasping.
"You know, if you had just told them the truth, we wouldn't have this problem." Jaune's voice replied. "I know it's unusual, but it would give them a chance to adjust. They're all fairly…reasonable. I mean, I know Weiss is and we have been getting along these last few weeks."
"Yet you're the one who didn't want to ask Weiss."Blake replied sternly. "Why… do you think it would have been better if I had asked her?"
"Because Weiss is Weiss, and I just got her to like me as a friend, there's no point in ruining this for a chance. Besides, she's a traditionalist. She would never go for it. Yang might. She's always been the adventurous sort, and I kinda get the vibe she goes for blonds."
Ruby, Yang, and Weiss were all confused about what Blake and Jaune were talking about. What would Weiss not go for that Yang would?
"Wha-...?" Ruby started to ask but was quickly shushed by her older sister.
"Did Cinder go for it?" Blake asked. "She seemed interested in you."
"I think she will." Jaune sounded a little anxious like what they were talking about was taboo. "We can try a three-way date at some point and see how it goes."
Team RWY's mouth dropped open in unison. Did…did he just say three-way date?!
"She's pretty attractive, I wouldn't mind her joining in. We both have dark raven hair, smoldering amber eyes, great figures, and plentiful busts; were it not for our ears, we might be related. Like doing it with a cousin or half-sister." Blake purred.
There was a slight pause between the two before she spoke softly with a purr.
"Thanks for agreeing to this. I know how hesitant you were at first when I brought it up, but you've been really supportive since then. I honestly thought it would have been easier to convince you to what I can only assume is every man's fantasy."
"You were… uh… very persuasive." Jaune gulped thickly. "Can't say I'm a traditionalist myself but you know how I feel about you. It's because of how I feel that I even agreed…plus, you know? I'm not made of stone. Are you sure if you ask Yang, she won't kill me though? I mean, she's adventurous but since it would eventually involve Ruby? You know with her hot temper, all it takes is one wrong comment to be eating a knuckle sandwich. Especially when you want both of them involved at the same time."
"Trust me, she's the kind of person to try new things and she already has a better opinion of you now," Blake assured him. "It's only a matter of time and setting the right mood. We'll see if Weiss eventually opens herself up to it. We just need to continue breaking down her walls and get her into the mindset of trying something risque. I've been watching her at our book club meetings, so we've got more data to persuade her."
"Three-way date?" Ruby wondered softly. "Like a double date but with three pairs? How would you even split the dinner bill?"
"Sort of, don't think about it." Weiss cut her off before she thought of it more deeply, joining the other girls in leaning in further against the door frame.
"That naughty kitty…" Yang whispered in shocked awe. "I always knew she was kinky, but this? Who would have thought she corrupted Vomit Boy? And what's this about involving Ruby?!"
"You sure your team won't make a big deal of this?" Jaune sighed on the other side of the door.
"I doubt it, as it doesn't concern them what we do…"
Bang!
The door was suddenly pushed open against Yang, Weiss, and Ruby. Since the three girls didn't expect that to happen so suddenly, none of them were braced against the impact. They were knocked backward onto the rug as the door slammed open to reveal Blake and Jaune staring down at them. Blake had an amused smirk while Jaune's arms were crossed like a disappointed father.
"...and they can't talk about respecting other people's privacy when they do something like this." The raven-haired girl finished. "Told you they would be listening."
"You were right," Jaune shook his head. "They were predictable."
"What's going on?" Ruby asked wildly as she quickly stood up.
"Whatever delusions you two have I want no part in it!" Weiss cried out indignantly. With a slight scurry back, the petite and innocent snowflake shielded her chest from the hungry predators planning on sinking their teeth into rich flesh.
"Wait a second…" Yang processed what Jaune and Blake just said before her temper got the better of her. "You two… knew we were listening?"
"You're very loud, even behind a door." Blake pointed to her bow that was hiding a pair of cat ears. "I could pick up on Ruby's morning shout of panic from even Team JNPR's room. Now, why don't we address the elephant in the room."
"That you and Jaune are dating or that he was going out with Cinder?" Ruby asked, confused.
"Okay, first of all." Blake stepped into the room with Jaune following in behind her. She shut the door once he was inside. "Jaune and I are NOT dating."
"You're not?!" The rest of her team asked in unison.
"No, we're not." Jaune confirmed with a snort of amusement at the very idea. "We're just friends. That's it. We just hang out more because we found some common interests. Seriously, it's no big deal for two people to spend some time together."
"But I saw you two kissing!" Ruby gasped and pointed.
"When!?" It was Blake and Jaune's turn to be confused.
"Back in the hallway! You were holding each other intimately. Like lovers!"
It took some time for Blake and Jaune to figure out when Ruby saw them. Finally, they realized it was when Jaune was helping Blake up after the mysterious prankster assaulted them in the hallway. They answered Blake's team's question and assured them several more times they weren't lying. It was just Jaune who asked Blake if he had done anything wrong since everyone else was acting like he had done and it confused and worried him. That was why Blake interrogated Ruby.
Having realized they royally screwed up and overreacted to a good friend's good name, the RWY of RWBY hung their heads in equal parts embarrassment and shame.
"What do you have to say to him?" Blake asked with a tap of her fingers on her crossed forearms, appearing as the stern mother beside Jaune.
"Sorry!" All three girls said at once.
Jaune sighed, knowing he couldn't stay mad at his friends for reacting the way they did. Said sigh was choked by a red rocket slamming directly into his abdomen in the form of Ruby.
"I should have trusted you, I'm a bad friend!" Ruby hugged Jaune tightly with a bawl of her eyes. "Will you forgive me? Please?! I'll be your bestest, bestest, super-friend!"
"I-I thought you already were." Jaune groaned with a pat on her back. "And I get what you were feeling in thinking a friend of yours was cheating on another friend of yours. I'd treat them like scum too, you know? But you could have at least tried to talk to me."
"I… jumped to conclusions and was wrong." Weiss coughed as she rubbed her wrists with guilt. "I should have known you weren't the type to do that. Especially after the talks we've had. In the future, this won't happen again. I'll make sure to talk to you first."
"Thanks, Weiss." Jaune was glad their friendship was restored.
"Hmm… would a couple of risque shots be a good apology?" Yang grinned and a suggestive wiggle of her winning chest and hips.
"YANG!" The rest of her team admonished.
Jaune didn't care and only laughed, knowing Yang wasn't serious. It was just nice to have everything back to normal. They were all friends again, there were some laughs, and now he didn't have to worry about imaginary things anymore. Well, except for dreams, but what could he do about that? He locked eyes with Weiss for a moment and mouthed silently a question.
She replied with a single silent word herself.
'Tonight.'
"Weiss!" Ruby whined. "You should have chosen a better book. This one is so boring! I can't believe I spent a Friday night reading something without cool action scenes!"
"What?" Weiss gasped. "This is a classic that delves into the emotional aspects of relationships! It's a very popular romance novel! Blake can vouch for this."
Every head turned toward the raven-haired girl. Sitting in a circle in the middle of Team JNPR's room, Jaune, Ruby, Weiss, Velvet, Blake, and Cinder were about to finish their book club meeting. They were about halfway through it and Ruby finally broke. Honestly, Jaune was surprised she lasted that long. Sure the book wasn't the most action pact, but it was a romance novel. It focused more on the characters' internal development over any real fights. It wasn't Jaune's favorite either, but he gave it a shot and focused on the parts he did enjoy.
"It is a little… dry," Blake admitted hesitantly.
"You too?" Weiss couldn't believe her ears.
"It's more because Blake's into much more raunchy romance stories." Jaune smirked, earning himself death glares from his reading buddy. "I won't say it's my favorite genre either, but I do enjoy some of the internal struggles about how she will proceed when she knows her position makes it impossible to marry him due to his commoner background."
"I rather enjoy stories that focus more on the psyche." Cinder commented. "You'll be surprised what you can accomplish when you understand how people think, rather than just trying to brute force your way through everything. As we saw in this story, if she acted rashly, her love might be put to death by other nobles to keep the status quo."
"That was the most exciting part though." Ruby mumbled. "Threat of a public execution. I wanted her to do some cool nighttime infiltration or something to free him and run off to become fugitives before finding a way to return and take control of the family."
"That plot is very unrealistic." Weiss pointed out.
"It's fiction! It's not supposed to be real!"
"I find this story interesting…," Velvet spoke up timidly.
While she had been sharing her opinions, she was still a little reserved even among her newest friends. Jaune figured she would grow more confident the more she hung around them. One thing they didn't do here was insult people for their opinion. Except him and Blake sometimes- most of the time. But everyone knew that was part of being in this group. This time her opinion did emerge.
"...You'll be surprised how many authors ignore emotions and mental struggles in novels. Sure we get some random thoughts and feelings, but not the change and build up."
"Exactly!" Weiss gestured a hand to the girl. "Thank you! Finally someone else besides Cinder gets it."
"I'm glad I'm welcome," Cinder smiled back at Weiss. "At first I wasn't sure I was."
"That was… completely unrelated due to a misunderstanding." Weiss mumbled, looking away. Ruby also blushed and felt warm. Both of them were aware of Jaune and Blake smirking triumphantly at them.
"Well I'm glad that misunderstanding was resolved." Cinder replied without a hint of malice or accusation. Jaune wasn't sure if she pieced things together. All she knew was they were upset at him for some reason and then were mad at her after she got close to him. With how smart Cinder was, he was pretty sure she understood what went through his friends minds. "This meeting was rather enjoyable and I plan to continue to come when I am available. Thank you for inviting me, Jaune."
Was that smile a little flirtatious? Jaune wasn't sure as he locked eyes with her.
"Anytime." The boy responded with a smile. He didn't want to read too far into it without proof, or else he would fall into the trap Ruby's team did with him and Blake.
"We'll try to plan our next meetup sometime next week?" Blake looked around as she suggested it. No one objected so she continued. "Let's try to finish it by then. If anyone needs an extra day or two, just let us know. We set up the group chat for a reason… and not just to send memes and emotes."
Ruby and Jaune both looked away and whistled innocently.
"I'll monitor the chat, but next week works for me." Cinder assured Blake, as she stood up. "I look forward to meeting up again. Jaune… feel free to stop by sooner if you would like to hang out again."
Now Jaune was pretty sure Cinder was flirting with him, but a small nagging part in the back of his mind told him that couldn't be the case.
"Sure, sounds fun." Jaune replied, trying to remain diplomatic.
The rest of the group wasn't so oblivious.
Velvet's eyes widened at how forward Cinder was being. She was only used to her team leader Coco's antics and confidence. If Coco had liked Jaune, she would have just pushed him up against a wall and told him to come on a date with her. Cinder wasn't that far behind and was being incredibly obvious. Her eyes darted to Blake, who had an amused smirk on her face. When they locked gazes, she merely shrugged at Velvet's shock. Ruby on the other hand was stifling a giggle. Since Jaune wasn't cheating on anyone, if he wanted to go out with CInder, that was up to him. It was just amusing he didn't seem to realize Cinder liked him. The fact she could see this, like with Pyrrha, showed how blatant Cinder's feelings were.
Weiss shook her head, as she couldn't believe how oblivious that boy was. He could get laser focused on someone and miss out on all the signs around him.
After Cinder left, Velvet excused herself. Blake was leaving herself, but she stopped and yawned loudly.
"You should get some sleep." Ruby advised her teammate.
"I'm fine, Jaune and I were just up late last night and talking." Blake smirked, trying to stay looking smug. Ruby blushed and looked away, knowing what it was about. However, Jaune noticed the bags under Blake's eyes. They looked a lot worse than one night of limited sleep should give.
"Blake, I might suggest following Ruby's advice," Jaune offered. "Ren caught something recently and it made him really tired. I wouldn't be surprised if a bug was going around campus"
"Hmm, I'm fine, but thanks for worrying." Blake smiled at them and then left.
Ruby stayed behind to chat with Jaune a few minutes before eventually heading out herself. She stopped at the door though, noticing Weiss was staying behind. Normally Weiss would have left already or at least left with Ruby.
"Weiss?" Ruby was surprised her partner hadn't gotten up to leave. "Are you coming?"
"I need to talk to Jaune for a few minutes, go on without me," Weiss replied with a small shooing gesture. "Yang will barge in here yelling she's bored if you or Blake don't distract her."
"I think Blake ran off to avoid just that." Ruby giggled cutely. " She's been really tired today. Okay, I'll see you when you're done." The girl waved and left the room. When the door slammed shut behind her, Jaune and Weiss shared a look.
"Will your team be back soon?" She asked immediately.
"They are in Vale," Jaune recalled. "Ren seemed interested in our group, but Nora wouldn't be able to sit still so he took her out. Pyrrha decided to go with them today so we had plenty of time with our club. Thanks for catching on this morning."
"It was obvious and I know you want to control your Semblance." Weiss leaned over and reached into her bag, pulling out Jaune's journal and handing it to him.
It had been some time since his dream journal had been in his hands, so he flipped through it for any changes as Weiss sat down at the edge of his bed. Just as he had it before, nothing had really been added to the pages, a fact Weiss acknowledged as she crossed her arms with a frustrated sigh.
"I'm sorry but… I'm still not sure what is triggering your Semblance. As upset with you as I was during the whole misunderstood debacle, I was contemplating the conditions of triggering your ventures into peoples dreams. It helped to keep me distracted. But all my theories on the acting triggers fell flat when the instances of your Semblances activation were lined up together. You seemed to have been surprised in some of your meetings, which would be an obvious reason, but other times, you weren't. I couldn't find a shared point."
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy." Jaune mumbled and then gave her a small smile. "Thanks for trying. It means a lot."
"I haven't given up yet!" Weiss interjected quickly, pointing at him. "A Schnee doesn't quit just because something is difficult." She crossed her arms defiantly, fixing her posture in effort to regain her cool. "Okay, so after realizing there wasn't a solid connection for why you connected with people initially, I considered how Semblances work. Meaning I went back to the very beginning, to all the lessons I was taught when dealing with a Semblance's first appearance. At the start, they seem random and flare up at the most unexpected times. Much like when we are younger and going through puberty. I've heard plenty of stories of Huntsman and Huntresses who've unlocked their semblances at a young age being unable to control them or activate them on will."
"Yeah, now that was a fun time." Jaune rolled his eyes as he chuckled.
"Anyways," Weiss continued, her voice stern that they would not be talking about anything involving that awful time in their life. "The fact is, Semblances don't act properly when they first appear. Knowing this, I think we should focus on the most recent events. Can you tell me who's dreams you visited recently? You don't have to tell me what happened in them. I know your policy about that."
"Cinder was the last one, followed by Ren, and the one before that was the person who was pranking me." Jaune recalled, thinking back.
"Wait, you saw the person pranking you and you didn't tell me?" Weiss asked in astonishment.
"I never saw the spark when she hit me during that time with Blake," Jaune shrugged. "Then you wouldn't talk to me so it slipped my mind."
"Okay, fair." Weiss coughed and her cheeks tinged slightly in embarrassment. "But try to think about if any thought came to your mind about them in the day leading up to when you entered their dream. You've had your semblance for some time now, so it's no longer juvenile. By now, it should have matured a bit, enough for certain triggers to arise."
"Er…" Jaune paused and thought back to each person and tried to remember what happened.
Cinder had been the most recent and Jaune remembered how he felt when they parted ways after hanging out. Even if it wasn't the first time he visited her dream, he focused on that day since it was more vivid due to being recent. He had been wondering if she really did in fact like him. Should he pursue her and see if she was willing to go out with him? Jaune was incredibly nervous because he might be misreading the signs. He wanted to get to know her a bit more to see if things would work out.
With Ren, he and Jaune had been talking about how Jaune had grown after parting ways with Blake. They were joking a bit while discussing how Jaune actually seemed more confident nowadays. It was then Jaune realized he really didn't know much about Ren as he would like. He only knew a little bit of his brother in all but blood's past before Beacon. Ren always listened to him, but rarely talked about himself. Jaune had wished he knew more about Ren's past…
As for the random prankster, Jaune didn't know who it was, but he assumed it was that girl with the twin. Maybe? He and Blake had been assaulted by an invisible assailant, and upon thinking back, they had physically touched him. If she had been invisible or he had missed the spark, then it would explain why he entered a girl's dream that night. Sure, Jaune had been thinking of the random thief who messed up his room and locker, but he didn't have a specific person in mind. Except maybe Cardin, but the locker prank was above something he was capable of doing. He had wished he knew who it was…
Curiosity. A nagging desire to discover more about said person and who they were. In the past three incidents, and perhaps every other one since his awakening of his unique gift, he must have thought:
"I wanted to get to know them," Jaune muttered as it dawned on him. "With Ren, I wanted to know about his past, with the prankster, I wanted to know who it was and why they were targeting me, and with Cinder I… er… wanted to get closer to her."
"Ah hah!" Weiss stood up and pointed at him. Wait, how did she get his team's desk chair to stand over him? "Your desire to learn more about people might be the key to directing your Semblance!"
"Then why would it have hit Ruby or Nora?" Jaune asked, confused. He knew those two really well.
"I told you, we need to focus on the most recent triggers of your Semblance," Weiss crossed her arms and seemed pleased with herself. "Think of it as shaking a can of soda. When you open the can, it sprays out randomly. But once it settles, you can open it and drink it as you want once you know how. Your Semblance has been activated quite a few times already, so it might be settled, but you didn't know the trigger."
"So you think it's possible that my desire to get to know people is what's causing this now?" Jaune frowned and rubbed his chin. "Can we test that theory?"
"That's what I was thinking." Weiss' expression changed from excitement to contemplation as her smile waned. "We need to select a target and have you concentrate on getting to know them. If you can invade their dream, that will be pretty solid evidence."
"Then we just need to decide who I should focus on then." Jaune admitted to himself her logic was sound. "But it's a little more… it's one thing if it's an accident where i can't control it. Another for me to choose and try to go into someone's dream. It wouldn't be an accident anymore. I'd be knowingly trespassing into a 'target's' dream."
Weiss stared at him with an unreadable expression. She'd seem to regard him carefully, knowing how sensitive her friend was with his incredible power and the moral issues it involved. She bit her lower lip, tapping her combat heel softly as he pondered the quandary.
"I wouldn't know who to choose and I would feel guilty doing it." Jaune continued, looking at the ground. "Friends, strangers… I don't think I want to purposely peek into their dre-..."
"Go into mine."
"Huh?!" Jaune looked up in surprise at the interruption. "Y-Yours?!"
"Remember, I offered to let you practice on me once before because in all honesty, I'm the best choice for you since I know your Semblance and can give you permission." Weiss smiled kindly at him. A smile he would never have received even just a few weeks ago from the girl. "I'm offering this because now that I know you, I can tell you really aren't trying to abuse your Semblance. You could cause a lot of mischief in people's subconscious. You also are willing to keep secrets to the end, which means if you do see something, you won't share it. My dream could be completely random or an actual issue or memory of mine. But I'd trust you for whatever you might see."
"Weiss… thank you." Jaune smiled back at her. "I really appreciate everything you're doing to help me."
"I do have one request though." Weiss added quickly.
"Anything." After all Weiss was doing for him, anything she needed he would do his best to return the favor.
"If you do manage to get into my dream, try to get me to realize it's a dream but not wake me up."
A silence followed her statement as Jaune processed it.
"HUH?!" Jaune was completely lost. "Why?"
"Remember the last time you were in my dream?" Weiss pointed out. "At the end? You told me I was dreaming and that woke me up instantly. After you admitted to me about your Semblance, I looked up some stuff online. Some people theorized that if you realize you're in a dream, you'll wake up. But some said it would only wake you up if someone else told you it was a dream in your own dream. I'm curious what would happen if I rationalized it myself."
"Wait… are you using my Dream Semblance to do… research?" The boy gaped at her and Weiss shrugged.
"Think of it as payment for my time and effort in helping you." The smug smile on her face was evident. "Besides, aren't you curious now?"
"Maybe…" Jaune scratched his head. "Yeah, okay. That sounds interesting. What do you think will happen? Will you be able to control your own dream?"
"That's what I want to find out." Weiss mused. "It will be an interesting experiment and who knows where it will lead?" She shrugged at the last part. "We may discover new and important uses for your Semblance more than just spying on others while they sleep."
"If we could do that…" Jaune stared off into the distance as he imagined it. During the dreams where he helped people, they seemed to be in a better mood when they woke up. That might even just be skimming the surface of what his Semblance was capable of. "That would be amazing."
"And I want to be the first one to see it." Weiss agreed. "Of course, this is only because I trust you now. The old me… probably wouldn't have even considered this."
"I swear on my name as an Arc I won't do anything to betray your trust!" Jaune put a hand over his heart.
"Enough theatrics, I know." Weiss rolled her eyes but a small smile tugged on her lips. "So for now, let's focus on you trying to enter my dream and convince me I'm dreaming without actually telling me so."
"I'll try my best… sorry ahead of time if I wake you up," Jaune apologized preemptively. "But… how are we sure I'll be able to target you?"
"Don't you want to know about me?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you know a lot about my past. You know more about who I am now than who I was."
"It's not like I haven't been curious, I did see a few hints during your dream… but you're my friend because of the person you are now, not who you were." Jaune admitted. "For the most part I was interested in getting you to go on a date with me so I could get to know you better. But we were able to do that without actually dating. At this point? I'd feel like I'd be cheating our friendship if I just gained all this knowledge about you without getting it directly from you."
"Mmmm." Weiss crossed her arms and tilted her head slightly. "That is a good point." She let out a long low sigh. "Try to think of something by tonight. You have a few hours. If not, we can always try another day." Uncrossing her arms, she turned to leave. "I should get going. Ruby will wonder what's keeping me and if she mentions to Yang I'm hanging out in your dorm room alone for a while… Yang's mind is going to go straight into the gutter."
"She doesn't mean that," Jaune informed her. "She just teases you because you react. If you show it doesn't bother you, she'll cut it out."
"Easier said than done." Weiss muttered dryly. "But thank you for the advice." She placed her hand on the doorknob and then paused before turning around. "You know things in our past can be pretty difficult to talk about, even if people want to. Sometimes, we do need our friends to discover things so we get that push we secretly want."
Before Jaune could reply, she left, the door slamming shut behind her.
"What was that about?" The boy wondered as he stared at the wooded door.
It almost sounded like she wanted him to learn about her past. That seemed unlikely as Weiss was usually pretty guarded with her secrets. She didn't like to talk about her family or home life except her sister and training. Wait… could that be it? She wanted him to know about her past because she was too embarrassed to talk about it? Wouldn't having him see her dream she couldn't consciously control be even more so? At least if she talked about it, she could control what was being revealed at her own pace.
"Ripping the bandaid off, huh." Jaune considered. "Hang on! Was this her plan to get me to focus on her!" That seemed like something Weiss would do. She was smart, a lot smarter than him. "Thanks, Weiss." The boy muttered the last bit to himself.
He really did appreciate her friendship.
Later that evening, his team returned, ladened with bags.
"Hello!" Pyrrha greeted cheerily. "How was your book club?"
"Pretty good," Jaune welcomed his team back, holding the door open for them. "Ruby obviously wasn't a huge fan of Weiss' book, but she's getting through it. Cinder's been a great asset to the group. She has some really good insights we discuss. Blake approves of her joining, even if she didn't admit it. That girl… heh. She was worried too many people would make the meeting more chaotic, but it's been working out well."
"That's good to hear." Ren set the bags he was holding onto his desk. "Sorry we couldn't join."
"Blah, reading is boring." Nora rolled her eyes. "We do enough of that for class. When we have free time, we should go and do something exciting." She turned to Pyrrha. "Pyrrha might have some free time to join."
"Do you want to join?" Jasked asked, also looking at the red head. "It's pretty fun and we don't meet that often due to everyone's busy schedules."
"Ummm… maybe next time if I'm free." Pyrrha smiled. "I wouldn't want to intrude when you're in the middle of the book." She's not sure why she refused, but seeing Jaune and Cinder together made her feel slightly sick.
"Well, when you want to join, you're welcome anytime." Jaune smiled. "We're open to anyone who's interested."
"You two can have some fun together." Nora elbowed Pyrrha, who pushed her back, cheeks slightly pink.
"So how many smoothies will these make?" Jaune teased Ren, looking into the bags of fresh vegetables and herbs. "Smoothies being loosely defined."
"HAH!" Nora pointed out. "I knew they were toxic! Nothing that exoticly green can be good for you."
"They are not toxic," Ren sighed and rubbed his forehead. "They are healthy and nutritious, with not a single poisonous plant involved."
"Then why was I sick for 3 days after trying one?" Jaune demanded to know.
"It might have been that your body is used to fast food more than concentrated fruits and vegetables." Ren countered simply. "Any sudden change in diets could cause that."
"He has a point, Jaune." Pyrrha reminded her partner. "You could eat a little better."
"I know, I know." Jaune nodded in acknowledgement. "You've mentioned that before."
"Moderation is important, so you don't have to give up unhealthy food completely." Ren explained. "Many people try that and end up with cravings that cause them to binge on those foods."
"Ah, like Pyrrha and chocolate!" Nora blurted out.
The champion's face turned as red as her hair. Just another day in Team JNPR's room. Jaune helped them unpack and they played a few video games, before getting some of their homework done. When they finally went to bed, Jaune laid there, tossing and turning as he tried to go to sleep. It never failed. When he wanted to sleep quickly, he never could. Weiss' words kept weighing on his mind.
"Sometimes, we do need our friends to discover things so we get that push we secretly want."
Conflicting emotions ran through Jaune's mind, which made falling asleep that much harder. From Weiss' words, Jaune wanted to visit her dream and see if he could make her realize she was in a dream. On the other hand, as a testament to their new friendship, he didn't want to invade her privacy. Desire, curiosity, and morals were all fighting within the poor boy. However, after forcing himself to lay still long enough, darkness eventually overtook him.
"Huh?" Jaune woke up in a familiar area. "Okay… didn't expect this…"
He was standing right outside the front doors of Beacon.
"Well… maybe I should have. It is Weiss… hopefully."
Again, it was impossible to tell until he dove deeper. If this was Weiss' dream, he would let it play out until he could find the opportunity to try to wake her up within the dream. Not that he had any idea how he was going to do that. Without telling her it was a dream, he had to get her to figure it out herself. How direct could he be about it?"
"Guess I'll worry about it later." Jaune muttered to himself, pushing open the large double doors and walking inside. "Entrance hall looks the same. Might even be brighter."
Looking around as he made his way through the school, Jaune took note of everything. Besides the distinct lack of people, it looked just like Beacon. If Jaune hadn't had a lot of experience in dreams, he might have thought he really was in the school. Occasionally movement occurred in the corner of his eye and he turned, but nothing was there. Frowning, it reminded him too much of horror movies where something was going to jump out at him.
"Seriously, I'm not in the mood for jump scares," Jaune said out loud. "Can I just find the person here?"
A giggle came from down a hallway and the lights glowed brighter.
"Thank you." Jaune smiled and continued down the hallway.
"Anytime." Said an oddly familiar female child's voice, causing Jaune to spin around. No one was there, but for some reason, Jaune wasn't afraid. It was like a kid just wanted to say hi and accidentally scared him when they jumped out.
"I'm busy, but maybe next time we can play." Jaune assured the girl and continued down the hallway.
"Promise?" Came the innocent question.
"Pinkie promise." Jaune assured her and strutted down the lit hallway. This was a rather nice change of pace. No dark, scary corridors, angry monsters, or violent encounters. Just a calm and relaxing atmosphere. More people should have fun dreams like Ruby did over nightmares. "Let's see. Where's the dreamer?"
He turned a corner and heard something in the distance. It sounded like a male voice. Rushing over, Jaune realized it was coming from the cafeteria. His footsteps slowed down so he didn't alert the dreamer and Jaune peaked inside the open door..
A grin formed on his face.
"Seriously, Weiss?"
The inside of the cafeteria was anything but normal. If anything, it reminded Jaune a lot of Cinder's castle dream. Pillars of white marble formed two impressive rows on either side. A pure white rug connected the doors to the cafeteria toward the white throne Weiss was sitting on. Blue tiled floor and blue walls, with the blue ceiling that was decorated with icicles. Weiss was looking smug as she sat on that snow-like throne. Her outfit was larger and puffy, yet seemed to flick and flow in the still air as if wind was gently brushing it.
A true Ice Queen… no, more like a Snow Angel.
"...enough of this foolishness, Weiss. It's time to come home. You're not a Huntress." Standing in front of her was a man Jaune vividly remembered. The man who had tormented Weiss in her previous dreams. Her father, Jacques Schnee. "Do you think this company will just sit back and let you prance off to fill some sort of child fantasy you have? No, thousands of people rely on the SDC to live their sheltered lives. Atlas exists because of us. Your claim is fading every day you're off fooling around."
"You care more about that company than you do your own family." Weiss accused snidely. "Why should I return to a life of loneliness and regret? Someone who only married my mother to gain the SDC. If anyone has a weak claim, it's you!"
"Indeed." From behind Weiss, out of a shadow of a white curtain. A woman appeared. A beautiful woman that made Jaune's mouth fall open. She looked a lot like Weiss, though much more adult-like, mature, with her hair tied up in a bun. Her outfit was pristine. It consisted of a white long-sleeved coat down to her ankles and the sleeves are split from shoulder to elbow. Under that was a white pleated sleeveless blouse with a dark blue waistcoat. A pair of white trousers with dark blue garters and gray thigh boots completed her outfit.
Okay, no wonder Weiss didn't like him calling her Snow Angel. THAT was a real snow angel. Maybe Snow Queen would be better for Weiss. Jaune quickly stopped himself from committing to that, as his friend probably wouldn't like any nicknames like this. This had to be Weiss' older sister, Winter. She mentioned her a couple times and that she was part of the military.
"I left to join the military over living under your abusive rule." Winter told her father, putting a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Weiss left to pursue her own dreams. No matter how hard you try, we will not just sit locked up like dolls."
"Everything you two have, was thanks to me!" Jacques told them. "Your education, training, lifestyle, everything! And this is the payment I get?"
"Children are not slaves to their parents." Weiss pointed at him. "I thought all the pressure you put on me when I was a child was to prepare me for the real world. But it wasn't to help me. No, it was to keep me a doll, a perfect little girl for you to parade around for your own goals. I was just a tool for you, like everyone else. Winter, your business partners, politicians, even my MOTHER!" Weiss slammed her hand on the throne. "Never again."
"Weiss, you will stop this insolent behavior and return home right NOW!" Jacques' voice boomed out, echoing and even hurting Jaune's ears. He had flinched at the sudden volume increase. "Do not make me discipline you again."
Weiss flinched and then gritted her teeth.
"I will not." Her voice was soft but full of strength. Jaune felt himself smiling as Weiss stood up. "Not this time.
"Do not-..." Jacques started to say.
"You will not speak while I am speaking!" Weiss cut him off loudly and sharply. "It's time you understood. The only way I'll come back is to take over the SDC, which is my right. Not to listen to you."
"You think you have that right, haha!" The man laughed. "A child who ran off to play Huntress? Skipping years of study and understanding business while you focus on fighting? No, if you stay, you give up any claim to the company. Even if you took it over, you would run it to the ground."
Weiss actually paused and looked worried, when another person spoke up.
"Weiss can do both!" A high pitched voice declared from the ceiling. "And we'll help her!"
From the ceiling, four large banners unfolded, two on either side of Jacques. One was bright red with a black rose. The next one was black with a purple stylized flower. The third was yellow with an orange burning heart, while the last…
Another yellow banner with a white symbol Jaune recognized all too well. A rainbow shape made of three crescent moons.
It was his.
Before Jaune could process this, a small figure landed on the ground. When he saw who it was and what she was wearing, he held his hand up to her mouth to avoid bursting out in laughter.
Ruby Rose stood there, but she wasn't in her traditional outfit. No, with her gothic black and red dress and combat boots discarded, the girl was now wearing a black and white outfit. Specifically, a maid outfit from her feet to the top of her head. Even one of those frilly white headpieces. Ruby took a moment to straighten her outfit before addressing Jacques, her normally kind expression looking angry. It was really hard to get that girl this upset, even in dreams.
"Weiss is amazing and talented, and she can do anything she wants to!" Ruby pointed at Jacques. "And if for some reason she can't? She has friends like me who will stand by her side and help! She doesn't need you to support her! We'll be there every step of the way!"
"You kept me isolated, only wanting me to be a daughter you could use as a pawn for political marriage, but I won't accept that outcome." Weiss declared, giving Ruby a small smile. "There is nothing you can do to me now. So leave and don't come back unless I call for you."
"You'll regret this Weiss!" Jacques declared, turning around and marching toward the doors.
Jaune backed up and was afraid he would be spotted, but the moment Jacques passed through he vanished. He didn't even glance in either direction. At this point, Jaune thought he could come out, but before he could even take a single step back toward the door, a woman appeared just as quickly as Jacques vanished. She looked so much like Weiss and Winter, just older, and Jaune assumed she was their mother. Her white hair was tied into a low ponytail over her shoulder, while her outfit had a little more color than Weiss. Her attire consisted of a white cravat, as well as a light purple jacket with light sleeves, a wide belt around her waist, and a matching pencil skirt.
Peeking his head back in, the boy watched the woman approach her daughters.
"Mother…" Weiss looked surprised. "What brings you here?"
"I heard from your father you decided to stay here." The woman sighed, looking at a bottle of wine in her hand that Jaune swore wasn't there a second ago. "Is this true?"
"It is, mother." Weiss answered from her white throne, with Willow and Ruby standing on either side of her. "I'm surprised you cared enough to come here yourself."
"Weiss…" Her mother tried to say, but seemed to stumble on her words.
"No, let me speak." Weiss held up a hand and her gaze was surprising to Jaune. She didn't seem angry, but melancholic. "Mother… I miss the person you were. The loving and caring person who put us above everyone else. When I was a child, you were always there for me. Then when father admitted the truth to you, you changed. You are only a broken shell of the woman you once were. The Willow Schnee that was my mom vanished.."
"You don't understand…" Willow looked at the floor. "When your father told me he only married me for money, for my father's company… I couldn't take it anymore. I had my suspicions, but when I heard it all, when he said he didn't love me… nothing was the same."
Jaune's mouth fell open.
That… that couldn't be true right? Tell me this is just Weiss' dream making stuff up. What kind of human garbage would do something like that to a poor woman? To his children? No wonder Weiss hates her father.
"I understand to a degree how that could hurt," Weiss admitted slowly. "What kind of pain you went through. But I was only ten. To see such a change from you, the warm mother who protected me, just locking herself away and letting that abusive man subject me to torment…"
"She stayed, Weiss." Winter reminded her. "Even when I left, she stayed. Mother still loves you. Loves us."
"Don't be so hard on her," Ruby added. "You still have your mom."
This was always the weirdest part of the dream to Jaune. Knowing that everyone talking was the same person, just different parts of their subconscious or beliefs. It sounds like deep down, Weiss knew her mom loved her. Ruby's comments were probably based on talks she and Weiss had at some point, or what Weiss believed Ruby would feel like. Jaune wanted to believe Willow loved her kids too. For Weiss' sake at the very least.
"I'm sorry, Weiss. Winter." Willow looked down at the ground again. "I was a horrible mother when you needed me."
"I don't want your apologies, I don't need them." Weiss wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I just want the old you back. My mom."
Willow looked at the bottle in her hand and with one swift motion, smashed the glass on the ground, the red wine staining the carpet as it spread out. The crash echoed all around them over and over, sounding like it would never end, but it did eventually stop. Turning around, Willow marched out, looking determined. Maybe this was Weiss' subconscious thinking there was still a chance to help her mom.
Again, Jaune hoped that was the case.
Willow was quickly approaching his hiding spot, so he backed up once more. Just like with Jacques, she vanished the moment her foot went outside the room. Jaune then debated if he should actually go in now or wait a minute for Weiss to process her dreams, when his decision was made for him. Another person appeared out of nowhere and started to walk through the cafeteria and toward Weiss. It was a young boy with white hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a short-sleeved untucked white dress shirt, with a light blue vest over it. He also wore a black necktie, navy blue trousers and black dress shoes. There was only one possibility Jaune could come up with who this was.
A younger brother.
"Weiss." The boy said as he approached, his voice sounding really condescending.
"Whitley." Weiss sniffed and looked disinterested. "What brings you here?"
"I heard from my father you're acting childish and refusing to come home to play hero." Whitley sneered. "It's hard to believe someone related to me would be so foolish."
"I would find it hard to believe someone with our genes…" Weiss gestured to herself and Winter. "Would be such a slimy piece of trash. But then I remembered our father and saw how much of his DNA was passed to you."
"Charming," The boy sniffed. "I just wanted to tell you I'm on your side."
"My side?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, someone with your skills and knowledge would only destroy the SDC," Whitley replied with a sneer. "I'll make sure it lasts another hundred years. It's best for it to get passed to me."
"You little twerp!" Weiss started to get agitated before managing to control herself. "The apple doesn't fall from the tree. You're just as slimy as he is. I doubt any girl will love you unless you trick them. Once they know the real you, they will leave in an instant."
"Like mother did?" Whitley countered and Weiss looked like she had been slapped. "Once we have a child, they will stay. Besides, prenups exist for a reason to make sure they are left with nothing if they try to leave."
"You are a nasty little thing." Weiss growled. "I really wish I could stomp you like a bug…."
Jaune's eyes widened as a very large combat boot appeared above the boy. Was Weiss really going to squish her other brother? This may be a dream, but still. That was a little harsh.
"...but I understand what you've gone through." Weiss finished, her expression changing from anger to one full of pity. It was as if she was looking at a bug who was struggling to lift a crumb.
"What are you talking about?" Whitley demanded, looking furious.
"You have been poisoned by our father," Weiss sighed, resting her cheek on her hand. "He is a toxic void that corrupts everyone around him. We all went through that. However, Winter managed to escape and it was thanks to her I had a hand to pull me out of it." Weiss' eyes suddenly had a depth of sadness in them. "This is where I made a mistake. One I admit I did. I should have tried to help you. Shield you from our father. But I didn't. At the chance to escape, I left, never looking back at who I might have left behind. Even when Winter left, she didn't abandon me…or you. I can't say the same. And I made the same mistake our mother did. For that, Whitley… I'm truly sorry."
Whitley opened his mouth and then closed it. The boy was at a loss for words. Making a fist, he turned and marched back out, unable to argue with Weiss' heartfelt apology. After Whitley vanished at the doorway, Jaune peeked in to see a depressed Weiss being consoled by Ruby and Winter. It was probably now or never. Taking a deep breath to resolve himself, Jaune stepped out into the room and began to glide down the fancy rug toward his friend.
"Jaune?" Weiss raised her head and looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to fulfill a promise to you," Jaune replied simply with a small smile. "As a friend."
Jaune felt really uncomfortable being here. Hearing all these personal secrets was one thing, but now he was feeling the crushing weight of knowing that he's gotta break it to her that this is all a dream. Because this moment seemed to represent everything she ever wanted to say to her family, everything she genuinely wanted to set free and lay out on the table, but in reality she knew it would never pan out like this. Unlike waking up and vaguely remembering a pleasant dream, Jaune would be shaking her out of her happiness.
Movement behind Weiss caught his eye and Ruby was pointing wordlessly at his banner above them. Hoping that was Weiss' subconscious helping out, he felt a little better at what he was going to do. Maybe her subconscious remembered his promise and wanted to help out.
"What promise?" Weiss tilted her head in confusion.
"Ah, you don't remember." Crap, Jaune was really hoping that would be enough, but was mentally kicking himself for thinking it would be this easy. The conscious mind wasn't active and when it realized thai was a dream, the shock probably is why people woke up. Or some other reason he didn't know. It's not like he was an expert in the psyche. "Well, I still need to do this to keep my promise."
"What promise!?" Weiss asked a little more forcefully.
"Don't you think it's weird?" Jaune asked, gesturing back toward the door. "Your family showed up one at a time and then left instantly."
"They wanted to see how I was doing here in Vale, though my father did want me to return home because he was upset I was proving him wrong." Weiss answered simply. "It took a lot of work to get him to show up. Not that I wanted him to, but I couldn't resist showing him I didn't need him."
"No, I know first hand how amazing you are, Weiss." Jaune smiled at her. "He and your brother shouldn't have talked to you like that. I'm glad your mom showed up though. I bet she doesn't get out much." He looked at the ground. "I heard… about what happened between her and your dad. I'm sorry"
"Thank you, but it's not your fault." Weiss assured him as Winter and Ruby turned around and walked through the curtain behind her to vanish. "I'm just glad she came out. Though that was unusual. She never leaves nowadays… at best she would have called…" Weiss rubbed her head as if struck with a sudden ache. "That doesn't make sense."
Out of everything, THAT was what didn't make sense? Weiss' mom must have been mentally destroyed by her husband and Jaune felt a surge of anger at that. No wonder Weiss was so guarded with her emotions. But there was a crack in her defense and Jaune needed to exploit it. There had to be a way for her to realize this was a dream.
"Seems like a lot of things don't make sense," Jaune continued, playing along. "Pretty sure you asked me to remind you about that."
"Right, I do remember something about that now." Weiss scrunched up her face.
"You're at Beacon," Jaune pointed out.
"I know I am."
"Why are the hallways decorated with your family's colors… and Yang not here to deface it?" Footsteps came from behind Jaune and he was worried Yang would show up and start defacing everything to make it seem real. "Doesn't seem right, even if she appears now." The footsteps vanished and relief washed over him. He was getting better at manipulating dreams.
"And Ruby's here, so Yang shouldn't be too far behind." Weiss continued to mutter.
"Something's not… right…" Weiss grabbed her head and then finally, it must have dawned on her. Her eyes went wide and her face pale. "Jaune… you're Jaune, right? I mean, not a dream Jaune… you're the real one? This is all a dream, isn't it!"
Jaune was afraid to answer but decided since she brought it up, he could. Weiss seemed to have realized it.
"You asked me to wake you up."
"How much did you see?!" Weiss asked immediately.
"About halfway through your argument with your father." Jaune walked up to her slowly and sighed. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hear all that heavy handed stuff."
"No, it's fine…" Weiss held up a hand. "I expected some secrets to be revealed."
She stood up, eyed the world constructed by a dreaming mind, and merely had a thought.
Like a ripple, the world was cleared away, brushed aside to plant an open field of green stretching as far as the eye could see. No sign of hills, roads, buildings, or any spottable landscape could be seen even if Jaune decided to run for miles for a marker. Nothing but a lush forest green of soft grassy blades could be seen.
Weiss covered her eyes for a moment, massaging her forehead as she took a look at the green world she had created with just a thought "Woah… that made me dizzy. Is it always like that?"
"You get used to it pretty fast." Jaune chuckled. "It's your dream, Weiss. You should be able to affect it however you want." He gestured to the landscape. "Want to try to change it? Anything is possible here."
Weiss tilted her head and a small grin formed on her face. For a moment, nothing happened and Jaune wondered what she was doing. Then he suddenly felt a draft between his legs. Instantly, he looked down and an exasperated chuckle escaped him. This was something he would expect from Yang, but from Weiss? That was a bit of a shock.
He was wearing a bright yellow, shoulderless dress. Jokes on her; dream or not, he still rocked it.
"Seriously?" Jaune glanced at his friend, who was trying to hide her laughter behind her hand. Well, he wasn't going to get embarrassed that easily. "You're just jealous I look good in a dress. Even Yang would be jealous."
"BAHAHAHA"
That pushed Weiss over the edge and she burst out laughing, Her arm was clutching her side while the girl was bent over. The crystal clear laughter echoed all around them, the vibrations tickling the lush blades of grass in the world.
To Jaune's astonishment, green bulbs sprouted out from the expansive field. The bulbs shivered at the laughter flooding the empty world, sensing the positive emotions of the Snow Angel before another change followed. As if watered by the purest and cleanest rain, the bulbs let out audible pops, one by one in a rather melodious chorus, unraveling bright colors of sunny yellow, baby blue, rosy pink, lipstick red, tangerine orange, and pure white all around them.
Even when conscious of the dream, emotions still seemed to affect it. Jaune tried to make a mental note, but he wasn't sure if he would remember. Being so focused on the pretty girl laughing to her heart's content while being surrounded by such lovely flowers in front of him.
Finally, she calmed down.
"Oh, I needed that after this dream." Weiss wiped a tear from her eye. "Thanks for taking it in stride."
"My pleasure," Jaune smiled. "Anything for a friend. But I do have a question for you if you don't mind."
Weiss instantly went on guard.
"About…?" Her words were reserved.
"Why was Ruby in a maid outfit?"
"I don't know" Weiss threw her hands up in a combination of relief, that Jaune asked about that over something else, and exasperation. "It's usually Yang."
The moment those words left her mouth, her face twisted in horror as a hand slammed against her lips. Jaune's mouth fell open as he stared in shock.
'I want to see it. I mean, Ruby was cute in the maid outfit. But Yang?! Is…is it too late to add some changes of my own?'
"You heard nothing!" Weiss hissed after a moment, her pale skin bright red. "Ever! If you say anything, I'll kill you! I will pay people to get rid of the body!"
"I heard nothing!" Jaune promised. "But... Er… Weiss… you might not want to think about it."
"I'm not!" Weiss shouted. When Jaune pointed to something behind her, she turned around and saw something that made all the blood rush from her face.
The entire field behind her turned into a half building, like they were watching a theatrical play. Sure, that surprised Weiss, but that wasn't what caused Jaune to grow nervous. No, it was the two figures in the middle of the stage with a spotlight shining on them. One was Weiss, wearing an eloquent dress, similar to her queen one she still had on now, but this one was much more form fitting and sleek. The person dancing with her was wearing a fancy tux and twirling her around. It wasn't Jaune of course…
It was Yang.
First Blake and now Weiss? Okay, Jaune had to admit in all fairness he had his own share of dreams with that blonde girl. Pretty sure most guys at Beacon had and now he had proof plenty of girls did too. Seriously, he couldn't blame Weiss. This was no different than if she was dreaming about Goodwitch. Because, seriously? Who wouldn't?
"DON'T LOOK!"
Small hands covered Jaune's face as the heiress was in a total panic.
"You're the one dreaming this, you can control it!" Jaune shouted, as he felt pressure on his face.
"I'm trying! Shut up and let me concentrate! Keep your eyes shut!"
"I am! You don't have to force me!"
"Why is it getting worse!" Weiss yelled, as Jaune could only see darkness.
There was some light laughter and giggling in the background behind Weiss' panic cries.
"Calm down, Weiss!" Jaune told her again. "Focus on something else."
"It's not working!" Weiss was getting more panicked by the moment and Jaune was sure he heard some moaning.
D-Damn chivalry! Now he wanted to look! How was Weiss this strong?! Shouldn't she be too short to even reach his eyes?
"I knew that was a bad idea!" Jaune groaned. "I should have slipped into someone else's. Like Blake. She's a real mystery."
"It's too late for that n-... JAUNE!" Weiss screamed and quickly wrapped her arms around him.
Sensing something was wrong, Jaune did open his eyes and instinctively wrapped his arm around her. The world was fading away, like slowly becoming transparent while the two of them were holding each other. With the ground vanishing around them, no wonder Weiss panicked. Jaune hadn't seen this before either and was spinning his head around trying to figure it out. If he woke up, it would be instant and he would find himself in his bed. If Weiss woke up, he would fall through a void for a bit before ending up in his bed.
Everything becoming transparent?
Brand new experience for him too.
"What's going on?!" Weiss shouted.
"I don't know, but we'll be fine," Jaune assured her. "This is a dream Weiss. If anything happens, we wake up. I've died before and it's a bit of a shock, but you'll be fine."
"Are you sure?" The girl looked up at his face, her blue eyes full of worry.
"Yes." Jaune partially lied, though sounding like he knew what he was doing.
As the world vanished, he and Weiss stood in the middle of nothing, but for some reason they weren't falling. Which wasn't really that unusual in dreams, or kids cartoons. Neither of them were sure what to do because if they moved gravity might decide to finally notice them again. Things were quiet except their loud heart beats.
BOOOOOOM!
A flash of lightning cracked the sky above them and before either of the two teens could process what happened, they found themselves standing on solid ground. In front of them was a very spooky looking mansion that had obviously seen better days. The ground around them was barren or full of brown shriveled grass. The trees were all barren with not a single leaf in sight. Only some black crows sat on the branches, staring at them.
"Um… Jaune?" Weiss asked, letting go of him. "Where are we?"
"A dream." That dumb remark got him punched in the shoulder. "I mean, it had to be your dream, right?"
"I'm trying to change it, and nothing is happening." Weiss scrunched her eyes and focused, but nothing changed.
"Maybe…" It was impossible, there was no way it could happen though. Maybe he could jump from dream to dream, but Weiss was with him. She didn't have a dream Semblance. "Maybe… it's not your dream."
"HUH?!" The shocked girl spun around on the spot, but before she could say anything else, they saw lights in the distance along with a car engine.
A bright green van approached them and came to a halt outside the manion. Jaune and Weiss could only stare as the side of the van opened up. Three familiar girls and a dog stumbled out, with the shortest one acting all excited.
It was Ruby, Blake, and Yang, along with Zwei, Ruby and Yang's pet Corgi.
"Told you Weiss and Jaune were going to get here first!" Ruby told Blake. "But Yang HAD to stop for a hotdog."
"Hey, I was hungry." Yang laughed and gave a 'what can you do' shrug.
"It's fine." Blake assured her team and smiled at Jaune and Weiss. "Thanks for coming to help."
Weiss and Jaune glanced at each other for a second.
"Er…" Jaune rubbed his neck. "What are we helping with again?"
"I told you before, didn't I?" Blake tilted her head slightly. "We're investigating a haunted mansion. Where the famed murderer Adam Tauras died."
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