Fox made his way out onto the deck, not entirely sure how to feel. Though he didn't expect Cerise to defend Roman, he also didn't particularly feel like having it out with the other hunter after learning so much new information about the foreign groups and not sleeping all that well. Upon making his way outside, however, he quickly found that he had been partially mistaken- only Roman and Professor Calavera were waiting for him, though Roman was drenched in Cerise's aura. Fox knew exactly what it meant, both in the moment and in the future.

Roman's entanglement with his friend was going to cause problems for everyone.

"…Roman?" Fox asked, doing his best to sound surprised as he focused in on the man's aura. "You're back earlier than I expected…"

"Yeah, well," Roman said indignantly, "I should've come back even earlier. I fucked up…"

"And this is where I leave the two of you," Professor Calavera announced before putting a gentle hand on Fox's shoulder. "This is a matter in which I shouldn't get involved… nor do I want to."

Fox shivered slightly at the unexpected contact, though he didn't exactly mind the professor's surprisingly gentle touch.

"Before you do- your students need your help," Fox warned. "We've all been busy hatching a scheme inside to deal with this Sienna Khan woman, and you may end up at the center of it."

"Delightful," Professor Calavera said with an unseen roll of her eyes. "I sit out the discussion for once and somehow get pulled into it anyway…"

"So it goes," Fox said as he felt the professor's aura move past him and back into the house. He gave Roman a nod as he waited for the sliding glass door to close. "Looks like you had a fun night…"

"Do I even want to know?" Roman asked as he sat down at the glass table and folded his hands atop its surface. "Or are you just assuming? Correctly, I might add."

Fox took his time walking over to the furniture, and slowly lowered himself into the chair. He listened carefully for any movement coming their way as he scanned the surrounding area for any aura presence, but found only small flecks of it from sea birds and small creatures down on the beach nearby. The people still in the beach house were moving quite a bit, but none of them seemed to be headed toward the deck.

"When people decide to get… freaky, they rub some aura off onto each other," Fox explained. "It's usually stronger and easier to notice on women, given that they take some of you with them after all is said and done… but right now, you feel like Cerise to the point I mistook your mingled aura for her being out here with you. Whatever you two did last night, it must have been particularly wild for you to pick up that much of her essence and still have it clinging to yours."

Roman slowly sank in his seat until his forehead touched his hands and he was staring down at the floorboards of the porch.

"Oh come on. I showered and everything!"

"It… doesn't work like that," Fox replied as he pulled a face. "Just be aware of it in the future. I'm eternally cursed with the knowledge of who is sleeping with who… and it's a skill that usually results in finding things out I didn't want to know."

"Great," Roman deadpanned. "But I don't plan on ending up in her bed again. There's too much at stake, too many problems that could come with it… no pussy in Remnant is worth the amount of risk she carries."

"Do you actually feel that way, or are you trying to convince yourself?" Fox asked, keeping his tone neutral.

Roman squirmed in his seat before raising his head to narrow his eyes at Fox.

"…why do you have to be like this?"

"It's for your own good," Fox insisted. "And after the situation yesterday? I think I'm owed a little bit of fun at your expense."

"Yeah, yeah," Roman acknowledged with a wave of his hand. "We'll get to that in a minute, but… I don't know how to answer that, alright? I think I might have a problem. Cerise is new, she's got that aroma of danger and bad ideas and throwing caution to the wind and just… that's so much easier and more fun that actually being responsible and trying to think seriously about what I really want. I'm weak when it comes to women and responsibility…"

"…of all the ways this conversation could have gone, I wasn't expecting it to trend toward becoming your involuntary therapist," Fox pointed out. "But, while you're on a roll… what is it you really want?"

"Kali," Roman said immediately as he began to drum his fingers on the tabletop. "I want Kali, but I think I'm too much of a little bitch to just man up and talk to her about it."

"Well, you should man up and make the decision to commit soon, because her aura is faintly intermingled with someone else's this morning. I don't think you were the only one letting your hair down last night."

Roman went pale, and he was quite glad that Fox couldn't see it. The drumming stopped as he clenched one hand into a fist.

"Who?"

"Not my place to say," Fox answered. "And I don't suggest you go trying to find out. She's just as independent and entitled to find comfort in other people as you are. Besides- it's already done. No sense getting upset about it. Just consider the clock started and maybe rethink your priorities."

With a painful thud loud enough to make Fox jump in his seat, Roman's forehead went past his hands and hit the surface of the table. The man let out a groaning noise that sounded almost like an animal in pain before lifting his head up and heaving a melodramatic sigh.

"Fucking… fine. Fine. I'm going to talk to her, right now, and we're going to settle this one way or another. Half the damned reason I went with Cerise is because if things fall through with Kal, it's gonna suck ass… but then I'd at least have a safety net. That, or… maybe I could sabotage the whole thing and have a guaranteed new option so I wouldn't have to think about any of this anymore. Do you have any idea how much this sucks? What it feels like to not be able to do what you need to do when it comes to all this… this gross romance shit?"

"Yes, I do," Fox said without missing a beat. "I also know what heartbreak is like, and how the sting of a missed opportunity lingers despite all attempts to be free of it. No matter what you think of me, I'm trying to help you, Roman. There is one major flaw in your logic when it comes to what you did last night, though- with Cerise, nothing is guaranteed. I love her like a sister, but she's not the kind of woman you should be chasing. Maybe not the kind anyone should get involved with…"

"Is that how you talk about all of your friends?" Roman dared to ask.

Though he couldn't physically see the other boy, Fox kept his eyes on where he felt Roman's aura long enough to make the situation incredibly uncomfortable. Roman eventually shifted once again, his chair scraping against the deck as the silence became unbearable. It was only then that Fox decided to ease the tension, his voice carrying an edge with it.

"No, but Cerise would tell you the same thing. Some people aren't cut out for a committed relationship, and she's one of them. She knows it, and wears it proudly. If you're this torn up about a one-night stand and nervous that fucking around like this could screw up your life if you keep it up… then maybe it's time to stop fucking around, Roman. Based on how you've acted yesterday and this morning… is this how you talk to all of your friends? Because if it is, then maybe you should be nervous about Kali and her intentions."

Roman wanted so desperately to be angry, but for whatever reason, he couldn't summon up the energy to do so. Whether it was because he didn't have a leg to stand on or he was simply too tired, he absolutely refused to give the cause any more thought for fear of potentially finding the truth. His mind went into overdrive trying to find another excuse, until finally, for once, all of the machinery responsible for reaching seemed to break down. In contrast to Fox's uncharacteristic annoyance and bile, Roman became very quiet as he kept his eyes down on his own reflection in the glass table.

As Roman opened his mouth to begin speaking, he realized that it was the second or third time he had had very similar conversations with his friends, and he was the only common factor. With a grimace, he closed his eyes in a last-ditch effort to put some kind of distance between himself and the truth. He was incredibly thankful that Fox would have no idea. The notion only made Roman feel even more pathetic.

"…I'm… an asshole," Roman began. "I've been an asshole to you, I've been an asshole to Kal… probably everyone on all three teams here and Willow, at some point. My dad's an asshole, so I guess… I mean, I know that has something to do with it, but I also know I can't keep using that as an excuse…"

"Your dad isn't here," Fox reminded, adopting a more neutral tone.

"No. No, he isn't," Roman agreed. "I think… having him as my only example growing up fucked me up, but now I'm free from him for most of the year. It's up to me to change things and stop being a coward like him."

"Well, knowing the problem is the first step," Fox encouraged. "I'm sure your friends will help you along. Just don't back down and revert to your old ways, if you're going to make a serious effort. These are all things you should know… but it also never should have gotten to this point."

"It shouldn't have," Roman agreed. "Maybe… I just hit rock bottom with all this stress, and this is the turning point. I hope."

"I'll be completely honest with you, Roman- if this is your 'rock bottom', then you're doing pretty well with your life," Fox replied. "Both in terms of being well-off, and in terms of living comfortably. A lot of your problems seem to be created by you. Maybe not all of them… but a lot."

"Yeah. I know," Roman agreed as he ran a hand through his fringe and shook it out. "Gods… sorry about yesterday, man. And all this right now. None of this is your problem…"

"I'm making it my problem," Fox protested. "You may only be here for a few weeks, but it seems to me like our teams are going to be close. Might as well get to know each other and have each other's backs. Besides… you seem like an interesting guy."

"Thanks," Roman said with a heavy sigh. "Let me know if there's anything I can do for you. Maybe having someone totally removed from it all listen to me was what I needed…"

"There's really only one thing," Fox let on. "Don't be an asshole to Cerise, even if you're going to distance yourself, now. She's still a friend… and I've got her back, too."

"Distance… might be difficult," Roman warned. "She said she's going to some festival with me and acting as my guide. I also don't exactly want to cut her out entirely, just… limit how far we go."

"The festival," Fox repeated with a grin. "It's going to be a good time, for sure. Every season, the people of Vacuo ce-"

The sliding door opened to a worried-looking feline faunus, her ears flat as she slowly approached the table. Kali was already done up in her huntress gear, her twin lugers at her side.

"Hey, Roman…" Kali began. "Is everything alright?"

Fox glared at nothing in particular, his expression souring as he stood up from the table.

"…I'll tell you all later. This is the second time…"

"Huh?" Roman asked.

"Don't worry about it," Fox said with a wave of his hand as he made his exit through the open door and back into the beach house. "Do what you need to do."

Kali watched the man go with an arched brow.

"Do what you need to do, huh?"

"Yeah," Roman agreed. "I need to talk to you… alone."

Author's Note:

It's finally happening. Will it be a catastrophe, or will these two finally make progress with their not-relationship? Only time will tell.

-RD