Here we are with another chapter. This time something just updating where the duo is at both in time and their relationship. The semester should be finishing up in the next few chapters, and with that the arc. Been pretty busy with life and wanted to finally get this out, hoping to get more out as I get the time. I hope it was worth the wait!
CHAPTER 12- A Date
It was now closing in on a halfway through the semester, and Cinder had been keeping up with the classes and schedule. Every Friday, Cinder forced Jaune into some sort of "character-building" exercises, whether it was sparring, board games with punishments for losing, or thought provoking watch sessions (which really just turned out to be scary movies). He had told Cinder that they were just dates, but she adamantly refused, saying that dates did not build character and only helped for him to bribe her for kisses. Which, while a valid point, drew a deal between the two.
If Jaune could provide a proper date, and Cinder found it acceptable, the Friday's would become date nights. The other character building exercises could be dispersed throughout whenever. This lead to Jaune to his thinking spot. However, this thinking spot was in Cinder's room, on her bed, with his back against the wall and her legs over his lap. He usually left the thinking in the thinking spot up to her.
"Well Jaune, have you planned this date of ours?" Cinder asked, reading some sort of manual on dust. She was always reading different Atlas doctrine, manuals, or books on the history of Remnant. Jaune had figured out pretty quickly that she was the brains in the relationship, and considering her fighting prowess maybe the brawn too.
Jaune set his phone face down, careful not to show Cinder what he was looking at, "I can't just show you the surprise. It's a critical part of the plan, and you know how big surprises in plans are."
"I suppose." Cinder hummed, "There could be a reasonable bribe coming your way, maybe in the form of physical gratification?"
"As tempting as that is, I think the end of the date will result in plenty of kisses to outweigh the ones I'll lose right now." Jaune patted her legs, "But I appreciate the effort."
It didn't take too long to plan for the date to come to fruition, a couple simple locations and ideas melded together into what Jaune hoped would win him the bed, and some kisses. The date would need to start after classes on Friday, otherwise it wouldn't line up well with his end result.
The date day was perfect, and looking at Cinder, Jaune couldn't help but think the same about his girlfriend. He knew he would have to mesh together a couple varying ideas to keep Cinder on her toes, it was no problem however. Jaune had been learning Cinder's tells over the last months and he knew her taste in venues alone would keep their future dates interesting.
It only took an airship and taxi ride to the first destination, a combined event that would act as their lunch and entertainment for most of the afternoon. The impressive stadium had a sleek, futuristic design that housed tens of thousands. Both of them craned their necks to see the massive banner hanging from it. Not only taking up their field of view, but a few stories of height and several of length, the banner boasted two people facing each other in unique fighting stances.
Cinder turned to him, a corner of her mouth twitching into a smile, she kept it down for a moment before breaking out into a full grin. "You brought us to a fight?" She gave a cute gasp, something Jaune had found out recently only he was able to receive. "No, not just a fight. Its the Ultimate Remnant League, and that's Rebecca Dash and Abby Jack! Jaune they weren't supposed to be here, how did you know? I thought we were going to some "
"Well, I have my sources." Jaune said, intertwining his hand with Cinder's. "Joan just happens to also be a big fan of Dash, and told me that one of the venues that was happening today was unavailable so they moved it to this stadium. I nabbed some tickets through Joan, made sure not to ask too much on how she got them, and now here we are. The beginning of our date; lunch and some entertainment."
There wasn't much noise from Cinder, just a hum of appreciation. She was still getting used to showing anything but gruntled peachiness with a sprinkle of sass, but he could tell from the kiss on the cheek he received what she was trying to get at. They were in there seats within a good amount of time, enough for Jaune to grab both of them their lunch to have while watching the match.
The Ultimate Remnant League was a prestigious no-hold bars arena fighting group. Beginning as a way for any and all hunters and huntresses to showcase their skills, allowing for contracts and jobs to be more available, it evolved into an all-welcome fighting show. Unlike the leagues of the past that grouped by weight class and gender, or even type of fighting style, this league prided itself on its rankings and nothing else. Wins only mattered if they were against high ranking fighters, a top thousand that number one held the thousand point win if defeated. While the last place was one point.
For some, that one point could skyrocket their unofficial rankings, or give enough recognition to schedule a fight with a higher rank. Some argued that the point system favored those that stayed in longer, making it an endurance and tedious affair that gave no real competition. However, over the years of refinement in battle arenas and the constant influx of new fighters, the stress and danger of the battles dropped most of the fighters before they had spent even half a decade in the arena.
It was why the big fight the couple had come to watch was so historical. The fight was between a third and fourth place rivalry that had been years in the making. Currently, the league was at its highest viewings and ratings it had received since its inception. All from a group of six childhood friends whose story began through their childhood to a historical, landmark adventure that enshrined them as one of the only teams of hunters that were considered as so without going through the licensing and testing.
Once they had made it through their time as huntresses, they set their sights on keeping their friendship strong by beating each other up. All six were top of the leaderboard, and mostly only fought each other. Normally, they would be forced to face a number of other closely ranked opponents that challenged them to avoid any fixing. Multiple broken bones, concussions, and knock outs the league made an exception, noting their almost above average desire to win against their friends.
Jaune had caught Cinder watching the fights on her scroll, following the career of Dash for the last few months. He had even gotten her a small model of their weapons. Winged armored boots that allowed her to fly at extremely fast speeds, with a couple extra mods like knifes that extended from her toes and in case of emergency they could transform into a pair of five-seven dust pistols. Cinder seem to have been drawn by Rebecca's crash nature and flippant attitude, though Jaune could tell that she hid the admiration of her overwhelming outgoing attitude.
The counterpart, Abby, had an exoskeleton that increased her already enormous strength tenfold. The upper part could be separated and combined into a electrified lasso with vibro-knife capabilities. Anyone lassoed would become anytwo. Thankfully, aura would allow for enough protection for it to only become deadly if she wasn't paying attention.
"I can admit when I am pleased Jaune, this was a nice idea of the date. Not that you won, it's in your nature to mess up in the most adorable ways." Cinder said, munching on some popcorn they had purchased. He never understood how she could eat so much and gain no weight or lose any fitness. Jaune assumed that it had to do with her semblance and how many calories it probably needed to operate.
"Hey it's okay to be wrong, I just happen to get kisses out of this." Jaune replied, stealing some of the popcorn. "And don't count this day out yet, it's just the start of the date. There's plenty of events left."
"Shush, it's starting. I hear enough of your incessant adorableness." Cinder mashed a hand against his face, grabbing popcorn with the other.
The two combatants faced each other in the center of the arena, Rebecca clacked her heals together lighting them up, while Abby stomped her feet. A countdown was given and the fight began with Rebecca's first move.
"Come on AJ! Win this and you might take my place in the rankings!" Both kicked at each other, their shins clashing like swords.
They circle each other for a moment, Abby made the next move and sprinted forward, each foot landing made a larger crater in the floor. She hunched over in a boxer's stance, swinging back and forth to throw Rebecca off. She came within a couple feet, stomping the hardest she had yet right next to Rebecca. Off balance, Rebecca was sucker punched into the ground. Her aura flickered, and the bar on the large screen above them went in the yellow.
"That good enough for ya sugar?" Abby's southern drawl crept out in her banter.
Rebecca spit out blood, stamping it into the ground with a twist of her foot. "Had to make you feel like you were doin' somethin'. "
The wings on Rebecca's feet fluttered as she rushed around Abby, literally walking on air to get behind her. Once behind, she pushed off an invisible wall, flipping over with her right foot extended into an overhead kick. A flash of light and mechanical sound later, a pistol from her left foot was in her hand. The kick connected, forcing Abby's head down and a Rebecca emptied her magazine into Abby's stomach.
Abby's aura was in the orange now, and likely one or two good hits away from losing. There were no best out of three rules for standard matches, even important ones like the current. Only tournaments worth large, sometimes thousands of points allowed for multiple matches in the same day.
This specific match was coming along faster than most, which had been expected of the two. Their fights were so even and quick that it usually resulted in who could get a few in before they both got tired, though sometimes their fights would go on for hours. Enough that they would both just collapse in exhaustion, this was not one of those matches.
Having recovered from the punch, Rebecca had transformed her other shoe, now dual wielding the pistols. She was staying outside the range of Abby's kicks, but before she could get any further, Abby removed the top of her exoskeleton, turning it into her signature lasso. Slower from removing her shoes, Rebecca was forced to activate her semblance; a simple speed semblance that also projected herself in possible routes, confusing her opponents on where she truly would go or was.
On most, it would work great. In fact, it had, and was one of the main weapons in Rebecca's arsenal that had gotten her so high in the ranking. It just so happened that her opponent had helped her mold it since her childhood. In the end, Rebecca's efforts were for naught and she was lassoed within seconds.
"It's okay sugarcube, the beer's on me tonight." Abby teased, having pulled Rebecca within inches of her, the vibro-functions of the rope chipping away at Rebecca's aura and leaving her in the red. Normally, students and friendly spars would stop at aura getting to the red. But in the league, it stopped when the aura broke. It resulted in occasional deaths, but the risk versus reward and pull that the stakes of it had brought made the league keep the rule.
"It's alright AJ, I'll get ya sometime." Rebecca stretched her hand, patting Abby on the back.
"See Dash, I knew th-"
An explosion propelled the two away from each other, both landing yards away. The smoke dissipated to show both were not moving, but their vitals said they were alive. The aura told the story, one was completely gone while the other had a sliver of red left.
The announcer hopped up and walked in the middle of the two fighters, "And the winner is...REBECCA DASH!"
"Well, such a shame we were unable to see Abby's semblance." Cinder commented as she and Jaune walked out of the stadium. The light that they had begun the day with was now gone in favor of the evening sky, since the next rounds of combatants had lasted several hours.
"Yeah I wouldn't mind seeing something like that again, we should definitely come back." Jaune replied, "But this isn't the end of the date. M'lady."
Cinder smiled, grabbing Jaune's outstretched arm. "Okay then Mister Arc. Please take this refined villain to your next destination."
The duo stopped, Jaune having halted to look up at the building in front of them. A massive building with towering columns and walls of quartz, standing out in the modern city of glass and concrete. The walls were adorned with different carvings, each depicting various moments in multiple periods of time. Jaune could see a dome capping the back of the building, while the rest of the roof flattened.
"A museum, I wasn't aware you were the studious type Jaune." Cinder said, her head flitting back and forth to look at the intricacies of the building.
"Well, I might not be too familiar with any history of ours other than my family's, but this place seemed to have a pretty cool addition to it." Jaune shrugged off the sass from Cinder, "Come on, it also is our dinner for the date. We can walk around a bit and go to the restaurant. I have reservations in an hour anyway, best seat in the house."
"I would expect nothing less for myself," Cinder grinned, "How else do you think you would earn these kisses?"
Cinder shifted beside Jaune, moving to kiss him on the cheek. Jaune twisted his head quickly, catching her lips. He used their entangled arms to pull her closer, deepening the kiss and ignoring the passerby that raised their eyebrows at the crass display. After a couple moments of exploration, he broke away with a heavy puff of breath, "I'm excited to earn some more of these. Putting the work in instead of getting them for free makes 'em more sweet."
"Hmm, they're acceptable." Cinder mumbled, a bright blush ran ear to ear. "There's still improvement to be made."
She received a hearty grin from Jaune, "That's fine, this student is ready to get taught anytime."
They finally made their way into the building, getting through the process of finding where to start without trouble. The building was a winding, linear series of rooms that depicted a sectioned time period of Remnant. Various trinkets, figures, and descriptions were placed around them. For the most part, it was uninteresting things that melded together to look the same, and only noticeable changes occurred with the introduction of different types of hunter and huntress weapons. Simple weapons became revolutionary ideas and techniques, some donated prototypes were sequestered behind glasses.
It took the better part of the hour to meander their way through the multiple rooms. When they had reached the end, it turned out to be the beginning of the end. An entrance to a pathway starting with the beginning legends and history of Remnant. Large models of the moon before it was shattered, the world as a whole, and other revolutionary vehicles and wax figures dotted the sides of their pathway. Each chunk of history was sectioned by the standout moments and recognizable people, battles, or inventions of that period.
Sounds, lights, and voice acting enhanced the experience, almost placing the duo in each period of history like they were actually there. Their trek slowed down considerably, both enamored by the effort put in to portray their history. The finish came eventually, putting them out in front of the restaurant that Jaune had mentioned. All it took for them to get seated was a simple reveal of who they were for their reservation to be found.
"I must say Jaune, this was a pleasant experience, I think this affords at least three kisses." Jaune lent forward to receive his kisses, only for a finger to be placed on them. "Ah ah, those will be put on your tab Mr. Arc, we'll have to see if you get to keep them after this dinner and show."
Jaune smiled, "Okay fine, I think that'll be reasonable enough." He paused, "Only if you double or nothing the tab."
"That's a bet I'm willing to take," Cinder grinned back, settling down and grabbing the menu in front of her. "A decent selection too, how does a farm boy like yourself know to find something like this?"
"I might not know much about all this fancy stuff you like, but I'm getting the hang of it." Jaune grabbed his own menu, attempting to understand what any of the meals were. After a few moments, he just waved his finger around placing it randomly. "I happen to know some people, ya know."
"Right," Cinder leant forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. "You just asked Weiss for advice didn't you. Interesting she was okay with helping out, considering your history with romantic inclinations and herself."
"Ha, well you might be right about that, but she was plenty happy to help." Jaune placed his hand on Cinder's, "I think it's pretty obvious there is a big difference between a misplaced crush from months ago to full hearted love."
"Hmm, that sounds acceptable." Cinder squeezed his hand, waving a waiter over.
The evening continued, conversation about anything carrying the time forward to the time allotted for the show. The show began with a presenter coming up on the stage in front of the restaurant, then describing the history we had walked through to get to the dinner. Then how the different meals represented different things we had seen, the ingredients also doing the same to encompass a whole experience.
It eventually ended with the presenter gesturing toward the sky with a flair of their arms, the roof behind them opening up. The moonlight began to streak through the split, slowly filling the room with it's natural light. Eventually we saw the night sky sparkle with the stars above. Jaune glanced to Cinder, her eyes filled with wonder and excitement. A rarity to him and more than so for most, but one of the primary reasons he had brought her on the date and to where they were currently at.
The presenter finished with their presentation, allowing the attendees to view the sky and enjoy themselves. Cinder turned back after a few moments to look at Jaune, "Well Mr. Arc, I think that this might constitute a double in the kisses allotted. I don't think I have ever experienced something like this. Granted my dating experience is essentially constrained to yourself and I."
Jaune gave a warm smile, "Great, they'll be picked up at a later point. I think the dessert might be a more important matter to address, I heard they have some sort of sweet and spicy brownie thing that you would like. I'm just going to stick to the cheesecake."
"That's fine, I'll make sure to be prepared for your fumble when you ask for the kisses."
"Oh really now, that's how we're going about this?" Jaune said, grinning. "I think I recall a certain whiney cuddler couldn't let me go back to my room without more cuddles last weekend."
"Ah, um, where's this waiter? I need my brownie Jaune."
That's it for this one so far. If you haven't guessed, this arc and year at Beacon will end with the duo back at the stadium. I have reasons, some likely not pleasant considering they align more with canon, some hopefully entertaining and good for bringing the story along into the second year and arc. Not much else to say other than my small ramble.
Museum part is based off National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia. Mostly filled with crazy pieces from throughout history. But the initial entrance, that I put at the end of this one, is easily the best I've been to. And I've been to museums all around the world. The life sized dioramas that literally surround you as you walk the path take you from the beginning of the infantry to the present. Literal tanks, gliders, and helicopters are around you with models of the soldiers detailed to the stitching on their uniforms.
It's a worthwhile walk that is really the only thing to see if you stop by the city, highly recommend if you end up near it any time. I'll be sure to update as soon as I can, any reviews, comments, or concerns are well appreciated.