Dream Weaver

by Darkbetrayer

Dreams, the inner workings of one's mind. Where the subconscious resides and rules while we are asleep. However, one lone boy awakens the power to invade the dreams of others. Jaune Arc discovers his Semblance at last. If a Semblance is supposed to be an extension of one's soul, what does this mean to him? It's not like he's a license psychologist.

8. Fire Dragon

Wow, what just happened? I was used to 10-15 comments a chapter and the last one just blew that out of the water by doubling it. People really seemed to enjoy the fact Weiss caught onto Jaune's Semblance. I do want to say no, pairings aren't set, if any. When I started this story, I was planning Blake x Jaune. Jaune would need help with his Semblance and Blake would be able to help with all her knowledge of books. However, when the reading club occurred, them being frenemies was too much fun to ignore. (Plus their friends think they are dating.)

Good news though, a close friend of mine, NeoShadows, has agreed to Beta this story for a while. He enjoys it and we worked on this chapter quite a bit. You may have noticed it's a bit longer than previous ones. A lot is happening in this chapter including a very interesting dream.

Chuck B. Winanaki: I'm sure you're going to enjoy interpreting this.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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Huh...well, shit.

Anxiously, the blond wannabe-knight gulped, struggling to swallow an invisible lump. He nearly choked on something nonexistent stuck in his throat.

Jaune tried to think of an excuse as chilly blue mirrors regarded him with calculative regard reserved for a hunter eyeing its trapped prey. Nothing but excuses, questions, distractions, and any possible way to escape the sudden ambush. Unfortunately for him, nothing came out of his stammering lips. His brain had gone numb.

Weiss was staring at him, eyes still slightly narrowed in suspicion, but otherwise quite passive for the situation. As if she hadn't just caught him red-handed at a crime scene with the murder weapon still wet in his shaking hands. It was then he realized being silent was pretty much admitting she was right. A light sheen of sweat could already be seen on his stunned expression. Even as he tried to mask his surprise and shock with an innocent smile, it was too late. Weiss was smarter than him and could spot bullshit a mile away due to her upbringing as the heiress.

Futile as it was though, he had to answer her with something. Even if she had caught him, there was no way she would know for sure he had a Dream Semblance. This was probably a guess and maybe he could throw her off for now.

"What do you mean?" The boy asked, trying not to let his voice crack and shut his eyes to further exacerbate his guilt.

"Oh, we're going to play this game?" Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Okay, looks like I'm going to have to take a page from Ruby's book. I know how to get you to tell me the truth, Arc."

"Er…" Nervousness was welling up within Jaune as he worried about what Weiss was planning. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Give me your word as an Arc that you do not have a Semblance that involves Dreams."

Blue eyes snapped wide open as if he had been suckered punch in the gut and Jaune could do nothing but stare in surprise.

Giving his word as an Arc was incredibly important to him and not something he gave out lightly. Ruby knew that and it made sense she would have mentioned it to Weiss. Until now, he found no reason to believe it would be a bad thing or something he would regret sharing with others. But this? For his word, his pride, to be used against him? Even if he was a liar, a faker, a weakling, an embarrassment, pathetic, or worthless, he still had his word above all. That alone kept him hopeful of being a genuine hero one day.

Lie.

That was his best chance at the moment. It would be easy to just fake innocence and say he didn't know what she was talking about. Maybe even throw a flirt in to throw her off and have her scoff at him for being an idiot. Jaune Arc was normally honest and true to his word, so he could abuse that logic for his own good and say he had no idea what she was talking about.

Pride kept him from throwing his word in the garbage.

He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Even if he lied to Weiss and she never found out, he would know he had broken his word. That would be just as bad, if not worse as he would constantly think about it and berate himself. It would be no different than spitting on everything his ancestors, his family, stood by.

Left with nothing to save himself, he chose to act the idiot and stall until his brain finally got over its shock.

"This is ridiculous," Jaune replied instead. "Why would I have a dream Semblance?"

"Avoiding the question."

It wasn't a question but a cold statement. Man, this girl was sharp...why did that kinda turn him on even now? He couldn't get anything over Weiss. She must have known that as she took a step closer to the paralyzed blond.

"Ar-Jaune…" Her voice suddenly dropped and the tone grew serious. "If you value our newly created friendship, you'll tell me. Do. You. Have. A. Dream. Semblance?"

Each word felt like a stab with Mysternars's fine tip.

At this point, Weiss had truly trapped him with little room to breathe. Calculative as ever, she had knowingly struck him with blows he couldn't easily shrug off. Not without damaging a bond he had only recently repaired. Revealing the truth would only risk the bridge he had just built with the girl he had pinned after from the first day he had caught her face. Just having her as a friend now was a miracle after putting her through so much shame, embarrassment, and frustration.

Of course, he valued their friendship! Why else would he be struggling to confirm her suspicions? If she thought he had a Dream Semblance, if she had caught the clues, if she had put together the puzzles all on her own through the faint memories of playing a part in her dreams; if she was so damn smart, didn't she understand the implications?! It was like breaking into her home and going through her private belongings or spying on her as she changed.

If she knew he had such a semblance, and possibly even used it on her to view those private moments, why was she being so calm about this? In fact, why wasn't she pissed or threatening him? Could she be curious? As someone with a complicated semblance, could she just be intrigued and interested in such an ability he possibly had?

Jaune gulped anxiously as a small thought bubbled and grew in his numb brain.

Was it possible that...she could help him.

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?"

"Of course. I would expect no less."

Weiss led the way as Jaune dreaded the conversation that was about to happen. He would probably have to verify he entered into her dream. No, he would definitely have to do that. The only explanation was she put it together after his Semblance connected with her. How else could she have made such an accurate guess? Either way, there was no other option than to come clean. Weiss deserved to know what he saw, even if it wasn't on purpose. It was the least he could do.

"Why are we going all the way out here?" Jaune asked, confused. As he was running over what he was going to say in his mind, he only now realized they were heading outside, away from Beacon and toward the forest.

"Avoiding eavesdroppers," Weiss answered bluntly. "You should know firsthand what happens when people hear things they shouldn't. Semblances can be sensitive topics for many."

'Cardin.' Jaune thought darkly, remembering the blackmail attempt.

"Good idea. That's why you're the smart one." The heiress rolled her eyes at his words, but there was a shadow of a smile on her lips.

They reached the edge of the forest and Weiss finally stopped. They wouldn't be seen from Beacon and if anyone approached, they would be able to see them coming from a distance. Weiss didn't say anything when they stopped though, arms crossed over her chest as she looked back at him expectantly. Lying wouldn't save him and only cause more damage. How was he going to explain everything? Jaune couldn't help but scratch the back of his head in frustration and nervousness as those beautiful icy eyes gazed into his. He took a deep breath, hoping the clean forest air would help alleviate the stress.

"Okay, so, yeah. I recently discovered my semblance a while ago. And yes, it's a dream-based one. One I can't really control!" Jaune swiftly defended himself, though Weiss hadn't said a word. "Somehow, when I sleep, I sometimes find myself entering other people's dreams. I still don't get how or why, but it's been happening several times now since I awakened my Semblance."

There was one fact he wanted to cement to Weiss before any accusations started flying; he had no control over his Semblance. And it was only recently that he could interact with said dreams. Before any misunderstandings or hurt feelings were brought up, he had to make it clear that he wasn't invading their innermost fantasies because he wanted to.

Still though...

"Wait; how did you find out anyways?" He couldn't help but ask with his own narrowed gaze.

Unlike himself, Weiss readily answered without breaking a sweat.

"There were a series of clues," Weiss spoke simply, her light blue eyes continually examining him closely. "I wouldn't have noticed if I didn't have a dream myself." For a moment, her gaze hardened.

Jaune felt his shoulders tense and his heart speed up.

"You entered my dream, didn't you?"

"Y-Yeah…" Jaune hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I really can't control it."

"You're going to tell me everything you saw," Weiss continued. "I deserve to know."

Jaune didn't argue. Of course, she did. Why else was she even asking? When she started talking again, the boy just listened.

"It was a weird dream, unlike my unusual ones. You acted… differently. Then the next morning, you come over and apologize for your actions? The timing was too coincidental. I might have brushed that off if the next morning you and Ruby didn't do the pinkie promise gesture. I had never seen that before… and at the same time… I knew what it was. It came back to my dream. A dream that was incredibly vivid. I rarely remember my dream and when I do, it's normally just brief flashes."

As if recalling her dream, Weiss softly held her head with one hand. Unlike most dreams, it seemed she could remember their interactions far better than before than just as a fading memory.

"Huh… now that you mentioned it, Ruby knew a lot about her dream," Jaune recalled, remembering the first hint that those dreams were actually not his own. "I didn't pay much attention to that because I didn't know for sure I was entering other dreams."

"Ruby likes to talk about her dreams," Weiss informed him. "Blake then made a small joke about you being into Dream interpretation, even getting you a book to help out. It was before my own dream, but I started to connect the dots. I can't recall any of us mentioning a dream beside Nora and Ruby. Then we heard that Pyrrha had a dream about you, though she wouldn't go into specifics. It seems that every time a dream was mentioned as of late, they always involve you."

Jaune's face paled and he looked away. Yeaaaaaaah, there was no forgetting that dream anytime soon; 'Thanks a lot, Weiss'.

"You… Did you do anything in her dream?" Weiss demanded to know, her eyes widening at his expression. "Did you abuse your Semblance?"

"NO!" Jaune cried out, shaking his head vehemently. "I didn't! I swear on my name as an Arc."

Weiss eyed him suspiciously for a moment longer, before continuing. Good, at the very least she took his word.

"All of this was adding up, but it could still be a coincidence," The girl continued about how she discovered his secret. "Until I overheard your conversation with Coco. That was actually an accident and I wasn't planning to listen in, but I heard her comment about your clothes and you lied about her telling you what to wear. There was no reason to do that unless you gathered that information in a less scrupulous way. At that point, I made the decision to confront you."

"What if I had played dumb?" Jaune asked tentatively. Was it possible he could have avoided all this?

"Well, if you kept up the facade, I couldn't be entirely sure about it, but that's why I took out a page from Ruby's book. She talks about you enough." Weiss sighed and rubbed her nose as if she was dealing with an all-too common migraine. "She always pushed for me to give you a chance. Even Yang joined in sometimes. But I didn't feel that way about you. Would it have been fair to either of us if I said yes? For me to go out with someone I didn't have feelings for, or even for you to just get a pity date?"

"No, I wouldn't want that." Jaune grimaced, tasting something foul at just the thought. "I just wanted a chance back then. But then I went into your dream and realized I wasn't being fair. It may have been underhanded of me but it made me understand just how much of a bother I was to you. What I saw from my actions, I just...I'm really sorry."

"I appreciate it, but let's not talk about that anymore." Weiss waved a hand dismissively. Clearly now wasn't the time to dig into that matter any further, "Tell me about your Semblance and how it works, then I want to know what exactly you saw in my dream."

"I don't know how it works," Jaune admitted again, leaning against a tree. "Like I said: It's been happening on and off the last couple of weeks. At first, I didn't know what it was. My dreams were weird, different than usual. My first one was Nora's. That dream she repeatedly tells us about at breakfast? I saw it. But I didn't even consider it was hers. I thought it was just me remembering what she told us. Then I saw Ruby's dream and Goodwitch's…"

"You saw Professor Goodwitch's?" Weiss blurted out. "What was it about? Who else did you see?"

"You, Pyrrha, Blake, Velvet, and Coco." Jaune rattled off then paused. "I won't tell you what I saw. Dreams are supposed to be private and my Semblance may have let me see it, but I won't tell anyone else what I saw unless they give me permission. I'll tell you about your dream Weiss, but not theirs."

Even if he was caught red-handed, had every reason to be ashamed, and looked at as a bastard for treading into a person's most private place, he wouldn't betray people's inner worlds he had stepped foot in. Jaune refused to share dreams with anyone else besides the dreamer. His power was intrusive. He wouldn't deny that. And at first, he may have even been a bit giddy at what he could possibly do with such a cool and fun super power. But after what he had seen thus far?

"They're not your dreams. I might be a loser but I refuse to be trash that would so easily reveal someone's private hopes and fears!"

Weiss looked stunned for a moment as his tone. Slowly, her expression relaxed and she nodded in agreement.

"I'm… pleased to hear that. Too many people would try to use that information to control or manipulate others."

"Now, as for how I entered people's dreams," Jaune continued. "At first it started with physical contact when I was awake and there was this small spark. I think it acted as a receiver for my Semblance? Well, that's how I knew whose dream I would enter when I realized that. However, the last dreamer, Coco, I never made contact with. After Velvet woke up, I was forced to wake up too. When I went back to sleep, I ended up in Coco's dream. I don't know why."

"Semblances do evolve over time," Weiss considered, rubbing her chin as she thought about it. "You are training with Pyrrha and Ren a lot, so it might be forcing your evolution faster. Especially Ren's Aura training. At this point, you might not need to physically touch anyone."

"Great…" Jaune groaned. "Just what I need. I tried to take steps to avoid this happening. Avoiding physical contact mostly. Then I train with Pyrrha more so my Aura would be low when I went to bed. I figured my Aura might be overflowing or something."

"That's not a bad idea and one I was considering suggesting," Weiss admitted thoughtfully before rolling her wrist. "Continue."

"As for what my Semblance allows me to do: the first couple of dreams, I couldn't do anything but watch the dream go on around me. Couldn't interact with anyone, couldn't talk to them, literally couldn't touch anyone. Then in your dream, I was finally able to be seen. It was kind of… I hate using the word weird so often… but it's what happened. Your dream taught me the difference between the subconscious and conscious dreaming mind."

"I'm hardly a dream expert, but isn't dreaming all a part of the subconscious?" Weiss asked.

"Er… right… it might be easier to explain with examples." Jaune coughed into his fist. "What do you remember in your dream?"

"I was…" Weiss paused and her cheeks tinged red.

"Weiss, I understand it's embarrassing," Jaune tried to reassure her. "I was there. Whatever we talk about, I promise as an Arc, I'll keep it a secret between us."

"Uh-hum." Weiss cleared her throat. "I was having a dream where I was stuck in a cage, being forced to sing by my father. He kept making me sing over and over again until I was perfect. No matter how well I did, it wasn't enough. Then I heard your voice mentioning my team and talking to me, making me feel better, stronger." She shook her head. "I can't believe I was doing it and broke out of that cage. Then my team showed up and we fought a bunch of Grimm with you before I froze my father in a block of ice." A smile graced her lips. "That was the best part of the dream. But it was so vivid that I can recall it actually happening even now."

"Is that all?" Jaune pushed.

"Yes, why? What else did you see?"

"That's what I refer to as the conscious part of the dream," The boy explained. "It's part of the dream that focuses on what's happening around you. As the dreamer, you're the main character."

"I take it you saw something else you're calling the subconscious part?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, and you telling me what you saw is making me believe I'm right…"

Slowly, Jaune started to explain what he saw in Weiss' dream. He did 'forget' to mention his original intention was to learn about her to ask her out. That was a piece of information she didn't need to know. No point in ruining their friendship and it wasn't like he was going to do that anymore.

He started off explaining how the mansion was a giant maze and nothing changed until he actually asked for help. It was then he was led to a room with the younger Weiss sitting in the chair. At this point, Jaune debated leaving some stuff out but decided against it. There was a time to omit and a time to be honest. This was the latter. He told her everything. How her younger self acted, how the dream made him look like a butler and even what games they played. When he got to the part of her dressing him up as a girl, she actually held a hand up to her mouth to stifle the laugh ready to break free. She sobered up when he reached the part about the young girl wanting to save her older self.

It was thanks to her that Jaune was able to find Weiss.

That journey also taught Jaune about how people were only nice to her because they wanted something.

"I see…" Weiss went quiet. "That could have been my subconscious thinking about my parents-... Nevermind." She shook her head. "After hearing that, Jaune. I think I have to agree with you. It's hard to imagine so much going on underneath what I saw in my dream. Maybe your Semblance is partially to blame?"

"Huh, why's that?" Jaune was confused at her suggestion.

"You have a large amount of Aura, no one can deny that," Weiss explained. "From what you told me, you originally made a connection by sending a piece of your Aura into someone, like a receiver with you being a control tower. By sending your Aura to them, you are able to insert yourself in their dreams. At the same time, you're strengthening their dreams with the excess energy. I don't know this for sure though, but it would explain why the dreams are more vivid."

"That does make sense." Jaune agreed and then his heart stopped. If this was true, that meant Pyrrha's dream was… the boy pushed the thought down. He couldn't worry about that now. Blake probably enjoyed her dream even more, though it was one of his first intrusions, so it might not have been as strong. "Any idea how to control it?"

"Not off the top of my head since you tried reducing your Aura already," Weiss shook her head. "I would have to think about it and do a little research. There's probably Semblances similar to yours."

"Weiss… thank you." Jaune would have kissed her if that wouldn't end up with him being killed. "I mean it. I've been trying to figure out how to stop it with no luck."

"What are friends for?" Weiss asked, a small smile on her lips. "Though, I have to ask. Why didn't you tell anyone? Your team or even Ruby? They would have helped you."

That was a question Jaune had asked himself plenty of times. One he'd already come to answer, if only for his own benefit.

"Because I was scared. You had time to think about it and put it together slowly, not just have it dropped in your lap. Imagine if you had a really personal dream, one you would have died of embarrassment if anyone else saw. I saw some of those and I will take the secret to my grave. But if you'd found out and never bothered to approach me or get the full story? And even if you did? How would you feel? Won't people want to keep their distance? Get upset at me? Accuse me of using it to my advantage? I technically did that with you, Weiss. It may have been a good thing, but I still did it. It was because I saw your vulnerable side that I was able to realize how I was hurting you. No matter how you dress it up, in the end, I took advantage of your secrets for my benefit; not yours."

Weiss didn't say anything as Jaune revealed his own insecurities. It was almost ironic as he had seen hers and now she was seeing his.

"Every time I thought I would get the nerve to tell someone… I got cold feet or a dream would make me question telling anyone. I've wanted to tell people for a while, but I kept making excuses. I want to control my Semblance before it gets out of hand and I see or do something I can't take back. But… I can't tell them… not yet. Not after the stuff I've seen. The moment some of them know I saw their dreams, they will treat me differently, I know it. Or anytime they have a dream, a part of them will wonder if I was peeking. I should just keep it a secret like Pyrrha and Ren do. That would probably be for the best."

A frown slowly grew as Weiss crossed her arms while listening.

"I can't say I don't understand that," The girl admitted slowly. "Plenty of people hide their Semblances because they are afraid of being judged."

Or in Pyrrha's case, afraid everyone would consider her a truly invincible girl who they could never reach. A Semblance was an advantage. Even those not combat oriented. In itself, it was a cheat code that one used to make life easier. Some people were just blessed with stronger ones.

"What should I do then?" Jaune muttered hopelessly.

"First, cheer up." Weiss smacked him lightly on the cheek. "I'll help you. What you need to do next is start keeping track of whose dream you're entering and what occurred between you two leading up to them. Maybe your Semblance has grown and you don't need a physical touch to link to someone. Or maybe, Velvet woke up in the middle of the night and Coco touched her. It could be transferable between others. Like a spark of electricity, bouncing between conduits until it fizzles out or lacks another source."

"I… didn't think of that," Jaune admitted slowly. "They are teammates in the same room."

"When I was training my Semblance, I kept countless notebooks of glyph designs and my emotions when I first discovered them," Weiss explained. "It helps identify what triggers your Semblance and how your emotions affect it. Maybe there's another trigger that you don't realize yet. Try to think back and map out what led up to each dream. You met them all except Coco, so that's a good start."

"I'll try, a few of them were a while ago." Jaune frowned as he thought about it. "I hope nothing happens before then."

"Message me if it's an emergency or you just need advice," Weiss smiled softly at him. "Don't abuse the privilege." She added that last part sternly.

"I w-wont, promise." Just a few days ago, he would have killed for her number. He extended his Scroll and they remotely exchanged numbers.

"Promise me one thing," Weiss added, looking up into his eyes.

"Anything." The boy instantly replied.

"If something happens, something big with you and someone's dream, that does seriously affect them, we'll tell the others and figure it out, even if it involves talking to a teacher." Weiss's expression indicated she was not joking. "I don't know how you being in people's dreams truly affects them. I felt good after the dream because it seems you helped me at a subconscious level. At most, do that. Avoid telling people it's a dream."

"That made you wake up immediately." Jaune recalled.

"And… can't believe I'm saying this, because it seems now you're getting sucked up in dreams, try to keep the dream on track until we know how changing it is going to work," Weiss sighed. "I have no idea what my mental state would have been in if you tried to do something to my subconscious when you saw her as a girl."

...Wait, what?

"Woah, I would never do something to a child!" Jaune gasped indignantly.

"I know, but if you had caused her pain or threatened her, some jerks might have tried to manipulate me, I don't know what would have happened." Weiss shuttered. "We have no idea what lasting effects your Semblance has when it links our Aura together. Don't forget that a person's Aura is the embodiment of one's soul."

"Right... good point."

If he had permanently hurt his friends, Ruby, Pyrrha, Nora, or any of them, he would never have forgiven himself. When he talked to Pyrrha in his dream, he tried to be honest, while keeping the dream on track. Weiss' dream was the one he really interfered in, but the young Weiss asked him to. So really, he was doing what the dream wanted, right? What would have happened in Pyrrha's dream if he told them all he didn't want them to fight and they could all marry him? Would that affect how Pyrrha thought of him?

So many questions and he had no answers. Normally one would test out theories, but what monster would risk hurting their friends for a mere experiment?

"I have a lot to consider," Jaune admitted bitterly as he stared at his hands. "I can't… I won't tell you the details of people's dreams, but I'll try to give you as much information as possible. Whenever it happens, including what led up to the dream. I'm going to start writing down what I remember in case I see a pattern."

"Very good, but since we're here…" Weiss held out her hand and Jaune stared at it. "Go ahead and try to form a link with me. Like what you did before."

"Er…" Feeling hot all of a sudden, Jaune placed his hand on hers. Weiss' hand was so small and dainty compared to his, while also incredibly smooth. It was one of his dreams coming true. Sadly, this wasn't the time to rejoice, as he wouldn't abuse the privilege. Thinking back, he tried to remember what he was feeling when he saw the sparks. They were all different though. Surprised at bumping into someone, handing Blake a book, massaging Pyrrha? "I'm not sure what to do…"

"Concentrate and try to imagine your Semblance activating," Weiss soothed him. "Try imagining your Aura flowing toward me, or breaking off and jumping. If possible, recall memories to elicit different feelings to see if they work. You can close your eyes. I'll let you know if I see a spark."

Jaune did what he was told and felt his Aura just like Ren had taught him. Using his imagination and practice, he pushed the flow around his body, particularly to his hands. They felt warm, but Weiss hadn't said anything. His imagination turned to trying to think of his Aura leaping off him toward Weiss. Again, no indication Weiss had seen anything. Jaune tried everything he could think of, even trying to act surprised. Nothing happened and Weiss remained quiet.

"Still nothing?" The boy opened an eye.

"No, your hands glowed a bit as you activated your Aura, but nothing else."

"Ugh… why does this have to be so difficult!?"

For the first time during their conversation, Weiss actually laughed.

"Oh, Jaune." The heiress shook her head, still smiling. "You have no idea how hard people work on mastering their Semblances. Ask Ruby about the time she first discovered her speed one. She'll probably tell you the stories. She won't stop telling me."

"Glad to know I can make you laugh," Jaune rolled his eyes and rubbed his head. "I guess I'll start working on that journal about what I can remember happening with everyone I visited."

"If anyone else triggers your Semblance, keep me updated." Weiss patted him on the shoulder. "Good luck."

Later that evening in Beacon's library, Jaune set his pencil down and closed his notebook.

"Done at last!" The boy stretched out.

For the past hour or two, he had written down EVERYTHING he could remember about what happened the day leading up to him invading someone's dream. Ruby's and Nora's were the blurriest, as not only were they the first ones, Jaune interacted with both of them everyday. Funnily enough, he could remember vividly what happened with Glynda before her dream, even though it was a while ago. They didn't have many interactions outside of class where she wasn't reprimanding him.

"Done with what?" A sultry voice asked, causing Jaune to stiffen up.

Spinning around in his chair, he came face to face with an incredibly attractive girl, no woman standing by the bookshelf behind him. She had fair skin, bright amber eyes, and ashen black hair that covered her left eye and draped over her shoulder. The woman wore gray pants and boots; a beige leather, sleeveless jacket with light-beige details; brown gloves, sarashi tied around her chest and hips, and a pauldron on her left shoulder.

"Oh, sorry!" Jaune apologized. "I was talking to myself and didn't realize you were behind me."

"It's no problem," The woman gave him a simple smile. "I saw you concentrating really hard on something and didn't want to disturb you, but I needed a book from this shelf. Jaune, right?" From her position, she was close enough to see what Jaune was writing about without too much difficulty.

"Yeah, and you're… Cinder I think?" Jaune's ears burned in embarrassment. "Sorry, I've only seen you in class."

He'd never interacted with Cinder until today, only knowing her name due to hearing it called out in class. She was an exchange student who was participating in the Vytal Festival. Someone he'd never normally associate with. One would have to be blind to not notice how smoking hot the cool-faced woman was. She had all the characteristics of the gorgeous femme-fatal he'd seen in comics; the sultry smile was killer!

"Then let's formally be introduced," Cinder held out a hand. "Cinder Fall, a pleasure."

For a brief moment, Jaune looked at her hand, afraid to touch it after everything that happened. A newly sprouted anxiety had been planted in his chest with the awakening of his unstable Semblance. Essentially, he'd become a bizarre Aura transformer: constantly searching for conduits to tether with a spark in order to activate and invade a person's sleeping world. Though it had been inconvenient, his talk with Weiss upon her discovering his ability, had helped him to gleam a bit more about his newfound gift.

Cinder appeared confused at the blond boy, seeming to be surprised that he wasn't doing what others would expect to be a normal greeting. Between them, he was the weird one for not accepting the welcoming gesture all people knew. Being hesitant would paint him off as either weird or rude. Strangers were just friends you haven't met yet, right? Even with unlocking his intrusive semblance, he didn't have any reason to stop being friendly or shutting people out. His parents had raised him better than that. Cinder had been polite and even remained quiet to avoid disturbing his work. She had decided to speak to him and even get to know him. It wasn't as if she was up to anything nefarious.

Reaching out his hand, the boy shook it, as he tried to settle his shivering nerves.

A small jolt of light flickered between his fingers, zipping along Cinder's middle fingers as they shook hands and his heart stopped.

'YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?!'

"Jaune, Jaune Arc." The boy croaked out, and looked away, trying to hide his shocked expression. Shit, was he sweating?

"Did I do something wrong?" Cinder asked, tilting her head at his sudden strange behavior.

"N-No, it's not that!" Jaune hurriedly shook his head, relieved she hadn't noticed the spark. He didn't want her to think she had done something to him. He was already off to a bad first impression as is. "Sorry, I'm just tired. Been working on a project and my mind is a little slow now. Rrally burnt out lately."

"I can understand that," Cinder nodded slowly. "Pardon me for being so forward, but I don't recall seeing you in the library very often. At least, not without your team. Most people don't spend a lot of time here it seems." She added that last part as an afterthought.

"Hah, you're not exactly wrong. It's mostly a friend of mine named Blake who likes to read here. Usually, my partner is the one to drag me here to study for class and exams. Even then, I tend to sneak in a comic to read." Jaune chuckled. "As I said, I just had some work to do."

"What was it about?" Cinder quickly held a hand to her mouth. "Sorry, you don't have to tell me if it's personal."

"It's a secret project I'm working on for my team." Jaune lied, not wanting to insult her. "Preparing for the Vytal festival; tactics, strategies against certain teams, terrain research."

"Ah, I can see why you wanted some quiet." Cinder smiled in understanding, amber eyes momentarily flicking to his notes on hand. "I won't bother you any longer then; my apologies."

"It's alright, you didn't do anything wrong!" Jaune laughed anxiously as the cool beauty tentatively stepped back. He mentally cursed his skittish demeanor beginning to rise due to his Semblance.

As hard to approach as Cinder appeared, she was actually really nice. Pleasant too. And he might have been focused a little too much on the sultry smile he had seen earlier to know better than to try and befriend an older girl who exudes an aura of a femme fatale.

"Anyways, it was nice to meet you Cinder." Jaune gave her a warm smile. "Sorry for acting out of sorts there. I hope that doesn't stop you from talking to me again. My mom always said, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.' It would be nice to talk with you a bit more; if ya want to of course. My team and I can be found in the cafeteria eating alongside Team RWBY. You can't miss us."

"Team RWBY?" Cinder's eyes knitted together in thought similar to trying a new dish and tasting something familiar; it was kinda cute, "Ah, my teammate, Emerald, is actually quite close with Team RWBY from what I recall." Cinder mused with a faint smile, following a small distance behind the tall blond boy as he headed to the entrance of the school library so they could finish their conversation.

"Maybe I shall take you up on your offer."

"Then I'll catch you later." Having little reason to stick around in the dusty old library, Jaune waved back at Cinder, offering one last smile as he cracked the doors open.

"I'm sure you will."

Jaune Arc leff with a handful of useful notes, a recollection of his ventures into dreams, and having made a new possible friend.

Cinder Fall, the foreign exchange student from Haven, the mature and seemingly polite cool-faced beauty of her own little Huntsman team, continued to watch after the door as the friendly knight left. Left all alone in the rather empty library, she maintained her polite demeanor for several more minutes.

That seemingly nice smile gained a rather sinister curl on her lovely lips.

"There was a lot more in that notebook than 'tactics and strategies'. Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie; not so strange considering they are your teammates but Goodwitche's name too? How curious. It was almost like you were jutting down information concerning...tch." Cinder softly clicked her tongue, berating herself for not gaining a better peek at the notes, "Either way, those weren't ordinary research papers. You're the team leader of Nikos's team. I thought you were nothing but a simple fool, but if you're collecting information on others, you might not be completely useless. I should have Emerald or Neo check out that book."

A shadowy flame flickering in her right eye, dancing with dark mischief.

Seemed someone had earned himself a place on her list.

---

A short time later, a pleasantly smiling Jaune Arc froze mid-step in the middle of the hallway. A weird shiver ran down his spine out of nowhere, snapping him out of thoughts of making friends with the really hot mature exchange student. He had almost forgotten a small, but very important detail in the library. Cinder's conversation had pushed it from his mind.

That spark.

It hadn't been on purpose, as usual, but his Semblance had triggered it. He already knew what to expect tonight and now felt himself growing anxious at what was to come. Taking a few deep breaths, Jaune was able to calm himself down to a certain degree. He reminded himself he now had a companion to assist him through these difficult times.

Jaune pulled out his Scroll to send a text message to Weiss.

My Semblance triggered during a handshake with Cinder Fall. Help!

The response came a few seconds later, much to his relief.

Okay, don't panic. There's nothing we can do right now about that. If your Semblance has already connected with Cinder then you already know who's dreams you'll be dropped into. I'm not sure what to suspect as she is one of the exchange students, but be prepared for tonight and remember what we talked about. Try not to make yourself stand out too much, otherwise you'll raise suspicion like you did with me.

Jaune had only just met Cinder. He'd known nothing about her until now. But she had gone out of her way to smile at him and greet him kindly despite having absolutely no reason to. It was their first meeting and it had gone well enough to spark the beginning of a new friendship if all went well. Just because she was a stranger, didn't make invading her safe place feel less shitty as he did with his friends.

"Weiss is right though. No point in losing it or panicking. If this is going to be a common thing, then I can only do my best to not screw things up"

Cinder seemed nice though. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Right?

---

Jaune was not surprised to find himself in a dream that night.

It came as no surprise he would find himself in Cinder's dream tonight. He'd already been bracing himself for what strange, whacky, bizarre, and ludicrous worlds he would be venturing into before he even pulled the covers over his chest. Unlike the other times he went to sleep, he was prepared (well, as much as one could prepare to dive into a person's dream as one could be).

When Jaune's eyes groggily opened, he was pleasantly surprised at the scenery he had been dropped into. It was like something out of a childish children's book one could typically find in a library. The boy had woken up to find himself standing in front of a large medieval castle with great stone walls, and flags bearing Cinder's symbol, two red high heel shoes that touched their heels together to make a heart. The sun was shining, and the gates were open, with what sounded like trumpets blaring in the distance. A celebration was occurring with fanfare popping up like firecrackers to announce the joy to be had.

"I didn't expect such a… happy dream." The boy muttered to himself while scratching his scalp.

After his meeting with Cinder, Jaune had headed back to his dorm and bumped into Ruby. Since Ruby knew Emerald, Cinder's teammate, he asked her if she knew anything about Cinder Fall. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, personality, whatever little details he could catch to better handle whatever might occur in tonight's dream. Hell, even learning of her favorite color could help him better than going in blind.

Sadly, there was little to use.

From what Ruby had explained, via what she knew from Emerald's own words, was that Cinder was sorta strict and wasn't one to socialize much with others. Her cool beauty wasn't a front; she was hard to read and did little more than speak when spoken to. Which was strange. His meeting with Cinder in the library was far more insightful than what Emerald must have told Ruby. Strict, cold, unsociable? That wasn't the impression Jaune had come to after speaking with her for a bit. She seemed pretty nice, though maybe a little intimidating with those smoldering amber eyes.

Based on what Cinder's own teammate had said about her, he was expecting something far more intense than the page of a children's book.

"Maybe I finally entered a happy dream for once?" Jaune pondered under his breath, walking forward along the path of the drawbridge. "Assuming it's not like Blake's…" As he reached the lowered drawbridge, he glanced at the moat.

Murky dark blue, almost ink black water glared back at him, contrasting with the sugary world of a fantasy one would find in an eight-year old girl's dream. For some reason, its dark shade was something he couldn't brush aside even as he crossed the bridge and made his way over to the castle. Straight ahead on the golden brick path was the entrance to the large childish castle interior courtyard. The gate was bright gold and creaked, sensing his presence and pulled back, allowing him entrance to the main part of the dream.

"Fancy. I like it."

Crowds of people were standing and cheering behind a line as suits of steel-clad armor held them back. Men, women, boys, girls, everyone was there celebrating. Slipping into the crowd was easy, his arrival not causing anything to shift as he decided to play the part of some boring-faced civilian. Following their line of sight, he joined the crowd in looking towards the balcony above the courtyard.

Banners hung down around him in red, gold, and black, all having Cinder's emblems. A full band was playing in the distance, along with decorative guards. Colorful confetti began to fall down below from the castle walls, garnering happy giggles from the children who decided to reach for the shredded paper with glee. Jaune couldn't help smiling at the lively and fun atmosphere.

"You really like to be the center of attention, Cinder." The words were muttered under his breath to avoid attracting attention.

Suddenly, the cheering around him erupted, the sound multiplying exponentially in the collective uproar. The boy was forced to cover his ears as he looked up through watery eyes, squinting as he noticed a figure emerging from the shadows of the balcony.

Cinder was waving to her fans. An eloquent, shoulderless, low cut dress showed off her beauty, body lines pronounced, her chest tastefully pushed out, and her lips drawn in a sultry smile. Jaune gulped, wondering if she would ever wear something like that in real life and was further glad he wasn't at the center of attention as his eyes wandered over her slim body and her exposed thighs. On her head was a golden crown, a typical regal one could find in any fairy tale, and indicated she was a princess or a queen. Judging from how the dream was acting, she was most likely the Queen so she could be up top.

Cinder then raised a hand.

All the sound stopped. The cheering, footsteps, music, and even clothes rustling instantly vanished. From ear-pounding noise to absolutely nothing. Jaune felt like he might have even gone deaf from it. Both mind and body felt like they were being pressed down upon by a greater presence that would crush him like a metal tin can. He felt like if he spoke up now, bad things would happen. Even breathing was difficult, as the air seemed to have been frozen. Something was wrong or maybe Cinder just had that powerful of a presence.

"My subjects!" Cinder's voice rang out, as she waved simply toward them. "I welcome all of you."

The cheering instantly began as a single roar.

"All hail, Queen Cinder!"

Jaune at least knew for sure what her title was now.

"At long last, I have ascended the throne," Cinder announced, her words instantly causing the silence to fall over the crowd. "It is now time to take this world in a new direction. One of prosperity and riches. You all are the first step to bring forth a utopia for Remnant. The evil witch is dead, the foolish men have been removed from their lofty seats, and I have obtained the power I so rightfully deserved."

Fire erupted around her, spouting from all around her like hissing geysers.

It was a pretty impressive scene as the crowd praised their leader. Jaune wasn't sure if Cinder's Semblance involved fire, or maybe she wanted a fire Semblance. Her name was Cinder, after all, and fire would burn things to cinders. The boy flinched at his bad joke and was glad he wasn't in Yang's dream. What her subconscious could do with a joke like that scared him more than Cinder's words.

Cinder's speech could have been motivating, but something was off about it and Jaune wasn't sure what. It felt like a great and terrifying pressure still kept him quiet even among the cheers. Like the dream itself was glaring down at him, silently daring him to speak up while baring its teeth at him.

"Under my rule, we will have order," Cinder continued, her eyes sweeping over her audience. "No longer will the weak stand on top as they work their way into leadership positions, feasting on the hard work of the powerful. My kingdom will ensure those that deserve to stand on top shall do so and those that do not will receive the fate they deserve."

'This is the kind of speech a villain would make before starting a war.' Jaune thought anxiously. 'Pretty cliche, but everyone's imagined doing something like this at some point. I've done this once or twice when I was younger when I was upset about something. Cinder would probably make a good villain, now that I think about it.'

If Cinder was truly the bad guy, should Jaune try to be the hero and stop her? It worked in Velvet's dream, though they were on the same side. This also wasn't a superhero dream, more of a medieval kingdom struggle. Would he get to see large-scale combat between nations? Like in the movies? Seeing that up close would be pretty cool, as long as he didn't get involved. Fighting in that wouldn't be fun. Would that be right though? It wasn't his dream and spoiling her fun was against what he talked about with Weiss. There wasn't anything exactly wrong with a dream like this. And no one was being hurt.

While Jaune was lost in his own thoughts, Cinder was still speaking. A dream wasn't like a video game or movie where the viewer could see each main character's part happen one at a time, even when occurring simultaneously. Cinder would continue her dream, regardless of what Jaune did. The blonde turned his attention back to her speech and noticed her words turning darker.

"...are those who continue to stand against us, who cling to the old ways and refuse to see the truth!" Cinder's voice had grown louder and more emotional. "In order for our kingdom to thrive, they must be shown the folly of their beliefs. That their leaders don't just refuse, but are unable to protect them from the true darkness. It was thanks to me that the Queen of the Grimm was killed. Yet they still refuse to follow us, when we have shown my way is correct. They brought this on themselves! If we don't fire the first shot, one of them will."

'Queen of the Grimm? Seriously?'

Plenty of comics and movies over the years have shown different versions of an all powerful Grimm that spawned and created others. A Primordial beast of sorts. King, Queen, Avatar, and countless other names dominated the fictional world. None of them were true though. People just liked to believe there was a tangible target to defeat so humanity could be free from the Grimm. Countless stories involving heroes arose from this belief, and many Jaune idolized. They played a large part in his desire to become a Huntsman.

Did Cinder also read those stories and secretly idolize them? Maybe they had more in common than Jaune realized. Could he casually bring it up the next time they met? Having more friends and people who liked the same kind of books he did wouldn't hurt. Along with showing Blake she was wrong and should just admit it.

"Our first target has been decided!" Cinder announced. "We will begin the assault on the Kingdom of Mistral! Our priority will be to bring down their champion, Pyrrha Nikos and show the world our power!"

Jaune blinked slowly as her words sunk in.

Wait…

WHAT?!

"NO!" Jaune blurted out before he could stop himself.

That was the biggest mistake he made in a dream to date. All at once, every audience member, man, woman, and child, turned as one toward him, staring at him with blank stares. Their faces were all uniformed, focused on him with soulless eyes. A shiver ran down his spine as he kept glancing around at the crowd, before settling on looking up to avoid those gazes. Cinder was glaring down at him, annoyance plastered on her face.

"Who dares to speak when your Queen is?"

The people around Jaune all stepped away and pointed at him. He didn't mean to say anything, it was just that Cinder surprised him by saying they were going to attack Pyrrha. Anyone would have been if their partner was suddenly the topic of violence. Gulping carefully, he remembered Weiss's advice: he had to let the dream continue on track. But he really didn't want to see it continue on the path it was striving for. Maybe he could try to convince her not to, but not derail the train? Like switching tracks yet still arriving at the same destination in mind. At least a little less violent.

"Thanks for the support," Jaune muttered dryly to the empty eyed mob. "I did… your highness." A little flattery wouldn't hurt right now, would it? "I just think… attacking Pyrrha Nikos is… premature?"

"Are you questioning my decision?" Cinder demanded, eyes flashing and Jaune knew he made another big mistake. Tonight was not his night.

"No, of course not!" Jaune shook his head hastily. "No one would be that stupid!"

"Guards!" Cinder snapped her fingers. "Bring him to me."

The suits of armor lowered their spears and began to push it against Jaune's back. He actually felt the sharp pokes against his skin, which worried him. This was the first time he was risking serious, deliberate injury. While he doubted he would die in a dream, it still weighed in the back of his mind. The pain was a more pressing concern, as it seemed he could be hurt. Velvet was the one who took the brunt of the blows in her dream, and now Jaune realized how lucky he was.

Resisting arrest didn't seem like a good idea and Cinder did tell her guards to bring him to her, rather than execute him.

The gate to the castle opened up and led to an enormous entrance hall. Torches lined the stone pillars, a red and gold carpet led the way, and banners once again showing Cinder's symbol decorated the hall. There were also plagues with heads of multiple species of Grimm stuffed and mounted. Weirdly, there seemed to be a woman's head there too. Her skin was a deathly pallor, with jet-black sclera in her eyes and glowing crimson irises. Her bleached, pale white hair was in a larger bun with six offshoots wrapped together that also suspended several obsidian-colored ornaments.

"What are you looking at?" The woman hissed as Jaune passed by, making him jump back. It talked. The mounted head of a Grimm faced woman actually talked and glared at him like he was a worm she could stomp out of disgust.

"Sorry!" Jaune apologized, turning his attention forward.

Actually, part of him wanted to stay with the talking Grimm woman's head over continuing forward. At the end of the hall was a large golden throne, underneath an enormous portrait of Cinder. Cinder herself was sitting on the throne, her hand propping up her cheek as she looked at him with a hint of boredom in her eyes. The guards pushed him forward and then hit the back of his legs with their spears to force him down. Jaune grimaced as his knees hit the stone hidden beneath the rug.

"Jaune Arc…" The boy was a bit surprised Cinder recognized him. In Velvet's dream, she only recognized him as a photographer and in Coco's, he was just a customer. Weiss and Pyrrha recognized him in their dreams, but Jaune was a lot closer to them. "You have a lot of nerve to interrupt my speech. Tell me why I shouldn't have you executed."

Her harsh tone conveyed the truth that she would do that here. If Jaune didn't want to find out how painful death was here, he had to be careful in his wording. Again, minding Weiss' words to not derail the dream track too much. He wasn't sure if that was possible at this point. The dream latched onto a single word he had spoken by accident.

Maybe a simple approach would be the best option here?

"I'm sorry, Cinder." Jaune apologized. "I didn't mean to interupt…" The boy looked up and saw Cinder's eyes flashing dangerously.

"You will refer to me as Queen Cinder or yourHighness," The woman snapped, causing Jaune to flinch. "Disrespect me again and I shall cut out your tongue." She was really invested in this royalty persona of hers.

"I apologize, Queen Cinder." Jaune lowered his head in a bow. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I just got swept up in your speech and majestic aura."

"I do have a way with words." Cinder's voice became light and Jaune took the opportunity to glance upwards. Her amber eyes were betraying a sense of amusement. "However, you spoke up against my plan. Tell me, Jaune Arc. What makes you believe you should dictate anything?'

Right, the point about attacking Mistral and defeating Pyrrha. Based on what Jaune could deduce, Cinder relished control, as Emerald had pointed out to Ruby about her being strict. Seemed he was wrong to dismiss the hint, however unlikely it had been. The dream so far confirmed this. Pyrrha was the top student of the year and Cinder seemed to believe the strong and smart should stand above others. Not something Jaune agreed with personally, but he could at least understand that way of thinking. Putting these pieces of information together, taking down the strongest fighter would be the logical move for Cinder. It seemed she really wanted to take first place.

Pyrrha might have a rival now and Jaune tried not to laugh. His partner enjoyed competing against strong opponents to improve both of their skills and test her own limits. Maybe the two of them could become friends if Cinder's control issues weren't as bad as the dream made it seem. After all, dreams were hardly how people really think and feel. If anything, many peoples emotions were amped up to ten. Dreams didn't have limits like logic, so nothing stopped them from holding back in what they thought, wanted, wished, or felt.

"I don't… your highness…" Jaune answered, almost forgetting his honorific. "It was surprise that made me cry out."

"Do you agree with my plan then?"

"I support your plan of expansion," Jaune continued, trying to keep the dream going as it was supposed to, but at the same time, not wanting to encourage violence. "It's just…" He gulped. "May I speak freely, your highness?"

"Good, you asked for permission." Cinder waved him on. "I am merciful and generous. This one time you shall be allowed to speak freely."

"Wouldn't attacking a kingdom directly show that we are uncivilized and barbaric?" Jaune decided to throw in a curve ball. The prolonged slice following his question indicated Cinder was thrown off guard.

"What do you mean?" Came the response. "My nation is powerful and we shall take over the others, leading them to be united as one."

"Wouldn't a true leader lead by example and not force?" Jaune pushed tentatively, the invisible pressure stamping him down still strong but not overbearing now. "You could make your kingdom prosperous, the people safe and happy, and the other nations would want to imitate you. People would flock to join, allowing your nation to grow. Many would grow jealous and envious of how great and mighty our nation is when compared to their lowly land. Using force though? Isn't that no different than some bandit leader? You're just lowering yourself to their level by using violence as the first resort rather than something you could use as a last resort. You're the Queen, Cinder Fall. They should be imitating you, not for you to imitate them! Aren't you better than those lowly brutes who can only bark and bite?"

Cinder tilted her head slightly before answering.

"You underestimate them, Jaune Arc. The moment my kingdom flourishes, they will see us as a threat. Those in power will not want to relinquish what they control. Do you think those idiots will happily allow another nation to take their people? You do not understand what it's like to be on top, to control others who have no choice but to obey. Giving up even a fraction of power is a difficult task. To make true, long lasting changes to a corrupt system while the system is still in place? Impossible. The only way to change things is to overthrow it, burn it to ashes, and to start from the ground up. That requires power."

Her expression darkened, amber eyes dancing with a foreboding fire targeting the naive blond boy.

"Everyone enjoys power. Those that deny it are the ones without it, trying to delude themselves."

Jaune didn't get a chance to answer as the wall behind Cinder grew transparent. The woman herself didn't seem to notice what could only be described as a young Cinder with shorter hair in buns scrubbing the floor. Two blonde girls were watching and laughing as she did so, before spilling the dirty water all over her. Young Cinder grew angry and picked up the sponge to throw at them, when electricity crackled around her neck from a necklace, causing her to yell in pain. A blonde woman stepped out of nowhere in a flurry of Dust.

"Know your place, Cinder." The woman told her, holding the remote as the past Cinder flopped on the floor. "You are lucky we let you stay here. Don't you ever raise a hand against us."

A scream choked by a cry was heard as electricity jumped from the collar, soaking the young Cinder's neck in searing bolts. The possible memory began to dim and darken, causing the repeated shocks assaulting the young girl to brighten and outline her spasming body as she cried, and cried, and cried, and cried. One last burst of crackling electricity was seen before the scene playing behind Queen Cinder faded back into the stone wall.

Jaune could only gape as the scene vanished to be replaced by the wall. Cinder subconsciously reminded herself of something that happened in the past. Was that her family? Did Jaune see a flash of what Cinder's life was like growing up? It seemed she was abused by her family, or stepfamily if the mother's words were anything to go by. Was she being forced to act like some servant by her own family then?

What kind of evil, vile, screwed-up person would use a shock collar on a kid?! Jaune's hand gripped into a fist, feeling a silent fury overtake his features despite fighting to school them in front of the dream's ruler. No wonder Cinder desires control. She knew first hand what it was like on the bottom. For someone weak to be at the mercy of someone powerful. To be silenced for daring to speak up even though she was the one being harassed by people who were supposed to care for her.

'What can I do to help? It must have been years since this happened based on how young she looked.'

Something...malicious lurked in those amber eyes. Something fueling the heavy pressure bearing down on him to squeeze him to a pulp. But he caught something in the darkness he shouldn't have seen or known. A glint of what should have been innocence but wound up being an ugly thorn stabbing deep in a place no one could touch or see. A memory that wanted to be known. Even if it was wrong to have seen it, it was far too late to just ignore it.

Maybe it would have been smart to stop here. But whoever said Jaune Arc was smart?

"Are you like everyone then?" Jaune asked, raising his head and looking CInder directly in the eyes. "Will you get corrupted by power? Forcing all those to follow your will with violence just because its easier?"

"I am above them!" Cinder declared, her eyes narrowing. "I have worked too hard and too long to simply sit by and let my kingdom fall. We will carry out my orders and you will see that my plan will work. We will attack Mistral and I shall defeat their champion. Then they will all follow me. Because I know what's best for them!"

"I think you're too rigid in your plan," Jaune countered with a stubborn frown. "You need to realize you can't control everything. People don't want to be controlled. You know this. The fact you've risen to the top from your upbringing proves that you're strong and had the desire to change. I just think you've gone too far in the other direction."

"Are you standing against me?" Cinder asked coldly.

CREAK!

An invisible force slammed down onto Jaune's body with such pressure he swore he saw his vision begin to blur and waver. Snapping could be heard; was that his bones?! Under the pressure of the dream's ruler, the authority of Queen Cinder bore down upon him with the intention of forcing him to kneel. Jaune's posture grew rigid, his body shivered, and he felt his limbs being forced to move and follow the strings of its master's demands like some toy puppet. He could already feel his knees buckle and spasm as he grit his teeth.

Just like the poor amber eyed girl who had to endure being shocked for speaking up when harrassed.

Jaune grit his teeth to the point he heard a crack and then forced his mouth open with a shout.

"You know what… YES!" Jaune clashed with the great pressure of an almighty ruler, forcing his shivering body to stand taller, prouder, and glared right back at the queen. "The only way I'm going to go along with your plan is if you force me. Until then, I'm going to show you how stupid you're being! There's no reason to kill anyone. I'll show you that you can be better; that you are better!"

"YOU DARE!" Cinder roared, ambers flashing with anger as flames blossomed from her beneath her feet like bellowing smoke. "What gives you the right to order me around!? Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Because I want to help you!" Jaune shot back, now fighting physically against the weight pulling him down. It hurt, and he wasn't sure how this would affect him due to his Semblance being tied to the dream world, but he took a shuddering step forward. This was a first. In all of his dreams of his friends and acquaintances' private gardens, this was the first time he was rejecting the dreamer's flow. Idly he recalled Weiss's advice and found himself clenching his fist hard enough to make his knuckles turn white.

Yeah, this was a bad idea. And he might just suffer for standing up like this. But he wouldn't be the kind of hero he always dreamed about if he rolled over and just accepted this bullshit!

"And the first thing you need to know is that people aren't robots. They think and feel, and want to have fun. You may not have had a good childhood, but it's time to rectify that! Just because those days were miserable and unfair, doesn't mean you have to let it rot you from the inside?! Your dreams...your dreams don't have to be so overbearing and strict!"

Dreams...dreams weren't supposed to be so crushing and cruel. They were supposed to be free to let go of stress, trauma, misery, and pain. Even if Cinder's dream lacked Grimm, lacked flames and destruction, lacked tears and cries, and lacked a cry for help, he'd seen there was no way in hell anyone could call this a real dream!

A little enslaved girl haunted by days meant to be sweet and cherished with fond smiles, not a tormented past.

White light flickered from his body against the horrid screech and shattered the dream's authority and rules as he closed the distance between him and the stunned Queen of Remnant.

"We're playing Tag… and you're it!"

A glowing white hand lightly pushed against Cinder's shoulder, pushing aside the roaring inferno around her.

Cinder blinked blankly and stared at the grinning idiot who childishly tapped her shoulder, and turned his back to her before bolting away toward the entrance of the castle with a stupid laugh trailing behind him. Her mouth opened as if she were going to say something but found herself lacking any words to what just happened.

Whatever Cinder had expected, consciously or subconsciously, it wasn't Jaune to turn this serious conversation into a game. Cinder was smarter than him, he couldn't deny that. Most people at Beacon probably were. So what? It didn't mean he didn't have his own way of doing things. If he lacked smart and logical ideas then he'd just use stupid and dumb ideas instead!

The only way he had a chance was to confuse her and cause a jolt in the dream. Ignoring Weiss' suggestion about not altering dreams made him feel guilty, but after seeing part of Cinder's abuse, he wanted to help. Just like he did with the others, why would this be any different? It could be used to help others. Like now. If Cinder's dreams were haunted by some childhood trauma still needled into her heart, than he simply needed to bring back some wonder into her dreams.

Though, this was a tag game with high stakes.

It would also be a lie to say doing all that wasn't a little funny as he glanced back to find Cinder's right eyes twitching incredulously.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

If someone told Jaune he was about to be chased by a fire dragon, he wouldn't have corrected them. The moment he burst out of the gate and into the courtyard, fire erupted from behind him in an overflowing gust, burning the banners hanging down on either side. All of the people in the crowd were gone, even the guards. It was just him and an enraged Cinder exploding out of the gates with literal fire leaking out of her growling mouth. He could have sworn her eyes had even turned to slits as she huffed orange-red breaths of smoldering fire.

Jaune kept running ahead, pumping his legs as fast as he could because the metal gate on the outer was slowly descending. Getting trapped here wasn't on his to-do list.

"CRAP!"

With the gate almost reaching the ground, Jaune dove and slid on his stomach, glad normal friction laws weren't in place or this might have hurt. The gate just touched his shirt before tearing a small hole in the fabric. Scrambling to his feet, he glanced back once more to see Cinder flying toward him through the metal intersecting metal bars. Her hands were by her side and facing behind her, producing flames like rocket jets.

'Maybe this was a bad idea?'

An explosion followed by the screeching sound of tearing metal pieced his thoughts.

"Yep, bad idea! Bad idea!"

"There is no escape, Jaune Arc!" Cinder roared after him. "You will pay for your insults!"

"I'll pay for a day at the arcade, but not for that!" Jaune didn't know why he was antagonizing her, but it felt like something he had to do. Even while yelling over his shoulder, he never stopped running down a dirt path and into the forest. The sun was being blocked, but it was hardly a dreary atmosphere. Jaune had taken walks with his family down roads like this. Of course, they weren't being chased by someone with fire powers blasting through the air like a rocket dragon.

Wait… something occurred to the boy.

'Shouldn't she be catching up?'

Cinder was literally flying while he was forced to run on the ground. There was no way she couldn't catch up to him. Glancing over his shoulder for a second, the boy's heart started to beat rapidly as she was literally right behind him. Twenty feet away at best. Knowing the straight path wasn't going to give him the advantage, Jaune took a deep breath and made a ninety-degree turn into the forest.

Cinder blew right by him with a primal scream.

"Seriously, you need to relax!" Jaune shouted at her, before ducking through the trees. The brush would provide some cover to his idiotic ass. The game had now changed from tag to hide and seek. "And here I liked to think dreams were supposed to be fun and relaxing."

That was what he believed before seeing so many people's dreams. Dreams were people's subconscious working while the consciousness was asleep. So much information, desires, hopes, and fears were processed during this time. While some dreams could be relaxing, many were not. Jaune did wish everyone could enjoy their dreams and maybe that was what his Semblance was for.

"How do I help Cinder?" Jaune wondered loudly amid the raging roars of a rocket dragon flitting about the forest. "I barely know her. I mean, I can try to befriend her but I'm not so sure she's in any mood right now."Audible snaps could be heard in the forest as several trees were sent crashing down in wild blasts. A very ticked off Queen was throwing a temper tantrum.

He kept pushing through the thick forest brush, sweating anxiously. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to play tag with a chick who was apparently a pyromaniac with control issues. The smell of burning brush infiltrated his nostrils as he made his way away from the forest fire. Minutes passed and Cinder's screams grew faint. It seemed strange that the dream would let him lose her so easily. A tree branch smacked Jaune in the face, blinding him for a moment as he fell forward.

Onto a pile of sand.

Looking up, Jaune's mouth fell open. He had just stepped out of thick burning woods crawling with flames directly onto a beach. That wasn't what surprised him though. With dream logic, changing the landscape wasn't even on his radar. No, first the sunset was actually pretty astonishing. Like the one perfect palate of orange, red, and yellow mixing together into a painting. Most people only saw one like this a couple of times in their lives. Jaune took a moment to admire it before looking down at the sandy beach near the water.

Two plastic lounge chairs sat on either side of a table underneath a large red and black beach umbrella. On the table were two drinks in coconut shells and straws. The boy could only gape at the scene. Being a dream walker long enough, he rationalized the subconscious part of the dream made this, as the conscious Cinder would never imagine going on a date with him. How did 'needs to relax' turn into a 'date scene?'

"Seriously… what do you think is going to happen?" Jaune asked out loud, standing up and dusting off his jeans.

'Read the mood!'

"I give up!" Jaune threw his hands into the air. "If that's what you want, why not? That drink better not be alcoholic." The boy sat down and stretched out on the right side chair before picking up the coconut and taking a sip. "Pina Colada. Tasty, but I'm serious. There better not be alcohol here. I'm not sure what a drunk me could potentially do to twist this dream any further."

Jaune got to enjoy the sunset, soft breeze, salty smell of the sea, and the ice cold drink for a few minutes before he was rudely interrupted.

"FOUND YOU!" Cinder landed in the sand with a blast of hot air, sending a spray of sand all over the beach. "I knew I would catch… what are you doing?!" She shouted indignantly at the scene of a lunging blond loudly sipping a fruit drink.

"Relaxing." Jaune raised his glass toward her and smiled. "Want to join?"

The way Cinder looked like a fish out of water was probably the most amusing thing he had seen in a dream to date. Composure gone, the woman looked like she had been hit over the head with a bat. Seriously, she looked kinda dazed, and almost seemed like her eyes were spinning in circles.

"R-Relax… what… how… why?" Cinder was having a hard time processing the scene playing out in her own dream as she massaged her aching head.

"Come on, join me." Jaune gestured lazily to the seat next to him, wandering if there really was alcohol in his drink with how nonchalant he was being. "Your drink's getting warm. It's a nice night, so let's just talk a bit and relax."

In reality, Jaune didn't expect the woman to comply. To his surprise, the dazed woman actually walked over and sat down, before picking up her drink. Had she finally grown fed up and just decided to let the dream play out without her pulling the strings? The conscious part of the dream mind didn't always have full control of the dream and they didn't act one hundred percent like when they were awake. For the first time in this crazy dream, he saw a genuine and innocent smile on her face as she looked out over the ocean..

"You have a lot of nerve." Cinder finally told him, her voice low and...confused "More than a weakling as you should have."

"Yeah, my combat skills suck." Jaune laughed. "But at least I know how to relax and have fun. Speaking of that, how are you feeling?"

"How am I feeling?" The woman looked at him incredulously, pink straw spinning around the rim of her drink as she pulled her lips back to speak.

"After the chase and sitting down to rest," Jaune pushed. "Do you feel better?"

"I…" Cinder paused with her eyes scrunching up, almost grimacing. "It has been a while since I let loose like that. There are times I'm upset with people and can't always show it. Decorum, disguises, and those that are stronger."

"I can understand that," Jaune nodded, being completely honest. "There's been times I've been pushed around too and there's nothing I could do. Others have volunteered to help, but if I only rely on others, I can't grow. At the same time, I learned there are things you can't do by yourself and when you try to shoulder everything; you just collapse under the weight."

When Pyrrha found out about his transcripts, she wanted to help him, but Jaune pushed her away. It wasn't until he was at his lowest and about to lose his friend to Cardin's prank, that he finally stood up for himself, swallowed his pride, and asked for help. Now he was getting stronger thanks to her so he could be a good leader for his team.

"There are things in this world we can't begin to comprehend." Cinder sighed. "Relaxing like this is just a privilege of the naive."

Storm clouds in the distance began to form, blocking out the sunset.

"Is that really the case?" Jaune sipped his drink as Cinder looked at him. "A life only working doesn't sound like a life worth living. There's nothing pleasant about running yourself ragged."

"Once I've reached the top, I can live the life I want."

"I know, and I hope you can reach it, but hurting others like Pyrrha Nikos in a war isn't the right way to do it." Jaune continued, mentally fist pumping that he could tie the earlier parts of the dream to their conversation now. "Someone with your intelligence could easily find a way to avoid unnecessary violence. I think you get laser focused on one task because you don't take time to relax and rest your mind. It leads to mistakes because you're overworked."

"Are you saying I should just sit and do nothing like this?" Cinder raised an eyebrow with a gesture to her Pina Colada.

"If you want, some people find it relaxing." Jaune shrugged. "Maybe pick up a hobby. I like to play video games. In a way, you control what you do during your free time. It doesn't have to be a lot, but maybe once in a while, you stop trying to be perfect and just be you. You're not some statue meant to be admired on a pedestal. No one is here to correct you or punish you for goofing off from work."

Cinder sipped her drink as she pondered his words.

"And if you're ever overworked, just find me and I'm sure I can think of something for us to do." Jaune laughed. "I'm a master of having fun."

"Are you?" Skepticism and amusement rang through those words.

"Well, I like to think so."

"I can't deny you amuse me," Cinder admitted. "The fact you are trying to help me and not just agreeing with me is interesting. Emerald's too much of a yes man, always accepting my words. I could use someone who can speak up when needed." Her head turned toward him, face set in a contemplating scowl of a woman who knew of what she was about to say even though it seemed foolish. "Yes, it's decided."

"What's decided?" Jaune muttered through his sip of his ever-lasting drink.

"You're going to be my pet."

Instantly, Jaune's chair disappeared and he found himself on all fours in the sand. His clothes had changed to a large fur suit with a snout tied to his face. It all happened so face and without warning that he couldn't even gawk as his new floppy ears fell to the side of his face like bangs.

"Uuuuuuuuuh, woof?" Why was he barking?

"Now my little doggy." Cinder sat up and pointed to the ground, face splitting into a far too eager grin of a girl who found a new toy to play with to her heart's content. "SIT!"

The next moment, Jaune woke up in his bed, eyes snapping open with a faint twitch he couldn't stop.

'Seriously' The boy thought to himself as he stared at the ceiling. 'I tried to help you and you make me a dog? Is that your thing; role playing? Also, I demand long walks and organic dog food if you try that again. If I am to be someone's pet, I want to be pampered for once!'

He wished he could have told her that before waking up.

---

The following morning, Jaune and his team went down to the cafeteria for breakfast, discussing what they were going to do in class today. Ruby waved to him from across the room and they joined her team, who already had sat down. Jaune needed to figure out how Ruby got her team up so easily. She told him she used a whistle once, but he was sure if he did that, Nora would shove it down his throat. The only reason Yang didn't do it was because she was Ruby's older sister.

"Ready for combat class?" Yang asked Nora. "I hope we fight again. I gotta get you back for our last one. You nearly dislocated my shoulder."

"Bring it," Nora huffed, spearing several pancakes with her fork. "The Queen of the Castle accepts all challengers."

"Just don't break the ring," Pyrrha suggested. "Professor Goodwitch won't appreciate it."

"She already warned you about purposely doing so." Ren added stiffly.

"It's not on purpose," Yang scoffed. "As long as someone doesn't touch my hair or dodge Nora's hammer, the ring's usually fine. Plus, she's got her Semblance. It'll be like putting together a jigsaw puzzle for her."

"Most people dodge Nora's hammer out of fear." Blake pointed out.

"As they should." Nora agreed, shoving the pancakes in her mouth and inhaling them.

"How did it go last night?" Weiss whispered to Jaune, now that their teams were distracted.

"Like usual, things could have gone a lot worse," Jaune whispered back. "Still not sure how it's triggering."

"Is the journal done?"

"Pretty much, I'll pass it to you after class."

It was a blessing to have someone as smart as Weiss to help him out. There was no way Jaune would have been able to come up with all the ideas she did as fast as she could. He would never have thought to make a journal about this. None of this would be possible if Weiss didn't put together the puzzle pieces because for him to take the initiative would take nerves he didn't have. Dream confidence was one thing, the real world was another.

"Excuse me. Do you mind if we join you, Jaune?"

The female voice caused Jaune's blood to freeze as he slowly turned around.

Cinder Falls was standing right behind him with her team, holding a breakfast tray.

---

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