Jaune's grin didn't falter even under the onslaught of Jasmine's glare.
"As much as I appreciate your ability to make light of a situation, sir, I believe our announcement to the world will need a much more delicate approach." She stated, her glare never leaving Jaune's undeterred grin.
"Now, Jas, just because I prefer the direct approach doesn't mean I'm not capable of being subtle." He said with a wink and his grin stretching even wider.
Jasmine's glare somehow managed to intensify even more and his grin began to falter.
"Well, perhaps I could leave the finer details of the planning to you Jasmine," He ignored her smirk of victory and pressed on. "But I will need it to happen on or at least near the Schnee's wedding." He declared.
Jasmine huffed and she turned contemplative. "I…could probably put something together." She said in defeat. Before Jaune could smirk, she raised a finger to his face. "However, I will need a substantial increase in compensation considering the amount of work already on my plate in addition to this being suddenly dropped onto my lap." Her glare would put Weiss herself to shame.
Jaune's eye twitched. "Jasmine, we just renegotiated your contract. You want to go through that whole process again? How much do you even want this time?"
"10%"
Jaune nearly choked. "No!" He vehemently denied. "Absolutely not. You and I both know I don't have the lien for that."
"8% now and guaranteed 5% in a year."
"5% and 3%."
"Ha, funny. 7% and 6%."
Jaune grit his teeth. "5% now and 15% next year."
Jasmine paused for a moment, before she grinned from ear to ear. "Deal. I'll send the paperwork before lunch."
Jaune groaned and slammed his head into the desk. For all that he was putting on a show, he did intend to pay her that much in the future. Once Arc Dust really got rolling, between the insane amounts of raw Dust at his disposal and the innovations he tucked away in his mind, they would be absolutely loaded.
That brought the main sticking point to his mind. Not that he didn't mind the exercise, but he couldn't be at the mines every day and be their only source of income and raw Dust. He needed to begin scaling and making plans for the future. Perhaps Diam had been lucky?
"Jasmine, wait a moment." He said as his secretary paused near the door. "I'll be checking in on Diam in a second but I need a favor. Call this number for me."
She frowned as she took out her Scroll. "And this is?" She asked, her voice hedged with uncertainty. Jaune smiled. "Why, one of my first customers. I'm sure they'd be thrilled to hear about our plans. Plus, I have a promise to keep."
Jasmine's frown grew deeper at his vagueness, but she only sighed. "Fine, Jaune. I'll let them know you'll be in contact. Anything else?" She asked, her professionalism shining through her annoyance at him.
Jaune grinned. "That will be all. I'll let you know what Diam says." He said, waving her out as he swirled around in his chair. He fiddled with his Scroll for a moment before he sighed and dialed his other associate's number.
Click. "Hey boss, this is kind of a bad time—" A gunshot rang out through the speaker. Jaune lurched from his chair and scrambled for his cane.
"Diam! What's your status? Give me a moment and I'll—" A gunshot and an annoyed grunt interrupted him.
"No, boss. You sit tight. I'll take care of these gangbangers myself. Give me five minutes." He said, his voice completely calm even with bullets whizzing around him.
Jaune bit his lip and stared down at his Scroll. Diam was right; he couldn't be there for everything that went wrong. He needed to be able to trust his te— his associates to get the job done. Diam was more than qualified to take out a few gang members.
"Fine." He ground out; his fist clenched on the top of his cane. "But if you don't call back in five minutes— I'll be there myself. Am I clear?" Jaune asked, his voice tight.
"Crystal, boss. Diam out." The line clicked and Jaune nearly shattered the Scroll in his hands.
"This is going to be a problem." He lamented out loud. His emotional control wasn't what one would call 'stable' when it came to people he was close to flinging themselves into danger. He hadn't really known either of them that long nor did he exactly trust the two of them with the truth, but they had grown on him. They reminded him of days long gone.
Besides, he knew Diam could handle himself; both his records and his own personal experience proved that— he was letting his own bad experiences cloud his judgement
His brooding was interrupted when his Scroll rang. He slammed the accept button and sighed when he saw Diam's face, no worse for wear.
"Hey, boss. Sorry about that. I take it you wanted an update on my recruiting efforts, huh?" He sighed. "This isn't going to work boss, as you so obviously have seen. Most of the places I went to laughed me out of the door, and it seems my snooping hasn't gone unnoticed."
Jaune frowned. "Who beat us to the punch?" He asked, already an answer forming in his mind. By the way Diam grimaced he was correct.
"The Mob. Most Vets were gobbled up by them after the Council threw them to the streets— the Mob promised a new life and most took them up for it." Diam looked around. "These wanna-be's were on one of the Family's payrolls, don't know which one though, and mistook me for a cop."
Jaune winced. "That explains the shootout."
Diam grunted an affirmative. "They didn't take too kindly to me sniffing around their turf. Wanted to make an example out of me and I took…exception to that. I'm going to need to lay low for a few days and let the heat die down. Thankfully, they were smart and didn't start a shootout in the middle of the street, but the heat will be fierce. The Council won't like something this visible in the city."
Jaune nodded. "Take all the time you need. Stay safe and keep me updated."
Diam nodded. "Roger that, boss. Diam out." He said and terminated their call.
Jaune let out an explosive sigh and sank into his seat. More and more problems. Security was a bust for now and labor wasn't doing much better. He made a mental note to ask Jasmine to step up their hiring advertising. Even if it was only a handful of people, he needed someone to help offload his own part of the manual labor.
The Mob was going to be a problem eventually, but they would have to wait. He didn't have the manpower to take on Vale's underbelly, at least yet. Once they were established and started churning in more lien, he would take care of them— or at least bring them to heel. A certain red head popped into his head, but she shook the thought away. That wouldn't be until much later into the future.
Before he could get back to pouring over his records, or brooding, his Scroll rang again, and he recognized the number; unfortunately. He picked it up and answered it.
"Mr. Arc." Ozpin's voice rang through the speaker.
Jaune put on a fake grin. "Ozzian!" He cried out. "Always a pleasure! What can I do for you today?" He asked, his fake grin putting in overtime. He really didn't need Ozpin sniffing around his stuff already.
To Ozpin's credit, the man barely twitched at the name. "A pleasure as well, Mr. Arc." His insufferably neutral tone carried over the receiver. "I had a request; would you be interested in a short meeting? I had a few…items I wished to discuss with you, and I think it would be prudent to discuss them in person."
Jaune's eyebrows were sky-high at that particular revelation. "I believe I could work something out, Headmaster; perhaps later this afternoon?" He had extreme doubts that Ozpin would say anything critical to his true fight; they had barely spoken to one another after all.
"Excellent. I will be expecting you in my office. Take care, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said before he cut the connection.
Jaune slumped in his chair. Another mystery to untangle; oh, how he hated mysteries! He had never been good at them as a kid, and it seemed to follow him into adulthood. He grit his teeth as his head whirled at the possibilities that Ozpin could present to him. He needed more information.
Unfortunately, that information was out of his reach. He needed better networks— something to add to his never-ending to-do list of things that needed completing. He sighed and got up from his desk, his cane not far from his grasp. He would have to roll with the punches as it were— he had been known for his improvisation skills after…everything.
He paused before the door and brushed off the memories that tried to cling to him. He had no time to deal with them; he had work to do.
"Jasmine!" He called out to the empty little foyer that came with their office. He saw her bright hair bob up from her computer. "Clear my afternoon; Ozpin wants a meeting."
He saw the moment his words registered as her expression shifted. "What's about, sir?" Her voice only slightly strained.
Jaune shook his head. "I haven't the faintest. I'll tell you as soon as I know." He made to turn but paused. "Oh, I figured you should know; Diam will be out of contact for at least a few days."
He could hear Jasmine's teeth grinding from across the room. "Why?" She uttered and Jaune rolled his eyes.
"Oh, calm down, Jasmine. He got into a little scuffle with some gang thugs— he needs to lay low, so people don't get the wrong idea, or it gets traced back to us." He said in an attempt to placate Jasmine, who by the twitching of her eye wasn't fooled in the slightest.
"What exactly might be traced back to us?" She asked in a low voice.
"—Breaking News! A shootout near the Docks at an abandoned warehouse leaves investigators baffled and police on the hunt! Anyone with tips related to the shooting, please call the Vale Police Department at—"
The T.V. shut off suddenly as Jaune fumbled with the remote he grabbed from the counter. He turned slowly to look at the apocalyptic Jasmine who kept twitching; his nerves, frayed as they were, didn't prevent him from uttering words no sane man would in his situation.
"If you keep twitching like that Jas, you'll develop a tick." Jaune froze once the words left his mouth and before he could apologize, Jasmine cut him off.
"Go." She uttered in a voice he had never heard from her before.
"Going!" He yelled and bolted from the office; he hoped Ozpin didn't mind the intrusion, because he doubted, he could escape her anywhere else in the city— and he had a feeling even Beacons walls would fall under Jasmine's wrath.
The methodical ticking of the gears above their heads was a welcome relief to Jaune, even if it began to bring up memories he would rather forget. The tower itself stood for a time when Jaune was naïve and didn't understand how the world worked— both things that had long since passed.
"Jaune? How is the cocoa? This blend is one I managed to order from Vacuo; a specialty from one of the tribes there." Ozpin's voice brought Jaune back to the present. Or, rather, his present.
"Hmm? Oh, it's quite good, Ozylin. I'm afraid I'm not much of a hot cocoa enjoyer, unfortunately. Caffeine is my sin— one I'm sure you encounter quite often with your own students." Jaune said, taking a sip of the cocoa. It was rather good, but not quite as bitter as he would have liked. Too much milk.
Ozpin chuckled. "Oh, I am quite aware of my students' proclivities when it comes to their need to stay in the woken world. I take it starting such an ambitious business requires the same hours as being a student here does; if not much longer ones."
Jaune smiled mirthlessly. "Much longer ones— with not a single chance for a good fight unlike your own students. Oh, how they don't know how much they have until they don't." Jaune took another sip. He had to admit, the blend had grown on him a tad.
"Now, as much as I enjoy talking with you, Headmaster, you mentioned you had something with me to discuss?" Jaune asked, his attention squarely on the headmaster.
Ozpin nodded. "Indeed. I won't take too much more of your time and be direct— The Council is wary of you."
Alarm bells started in Jaune's head. That shouldn't have been possible— no one knew who he was.
"I'm afraid I don't quite understand, Headmaster." He set down the cup he had been nursing. "My business has barely started; I have no political ambitions and no major clients. Hell, I've been fighting to even find good workers who haven't been snatched up by the SDC already. What has the Council spooked?" He asked, fighting to keep his head calm. If the Council was openly hostile to him when he had so little backing to begin with…
"That, I'm afraid, is my doing." Ozpin sighed. "You're meeting with me has not gone unnoticed."
Jaune felt his self-control strain as he wrestled his emotions under control. He couldn't afford an outburst that might alienate the man. As much as he might despise Ozpin's more covert actions, he needed him as an ally. He let out a deep breath.
"I take it you have some sort of plan to counter this?" Jaune asked, eyeing the cocoa on the table in front of him. He knew wrenches would appear in their plan, but he still didn't appreciate it.
Ozpin hummed. "I have a few ideas, but that all depends on you, Mr. Arc. For what it's worth, I am sorry you've been dragged into my political troubles— I doubt they have any genuine malice towards you, other than as a way to attack myself." Ozpin set his own mug on the table. "Yet, I am aware apologies do not mean much without an appropriate action to reconcile— so allow me to provide you with something in return; information."
Jaune's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Ozpin being forthcoming with intel? Had he fallen into the EverAfter again?
"You have my curiosity, Headmaster. What are we up against?" Jaune asked.
Ozpin hummed and typed on his keyboard for a few moments before a display appeared before Jaune, with several pictures of Council members and a short description beneath each.
"The Council currently has four members; my position as Headmaster of Beacon of which you are aware, and three others; Bran Cole, Councilman of Agriculture; Earl Tealle, Councilman of Labor; and Jay Sinn, Councilman of Finance." Ozpin sighed. "Our current vacancy, Councilman of War, has resigned due to our loss in the Faunus Revolution and the Council is not eager to fill the seat. There is honest consideration to abolishing the position and establishing a new one, but I ramble."
"The problem," Ozpin continued, "is Jay Sinn, the Councilman of Finance. From what I have been able to gather, he has strong ties to Atlas and is quite close with their largest exporter…"
Jaune closed his eyes. "The SDC."
Ozpin nodded. "Precisely. He will be the main opposition for acquiring the land your mine rests and acquiring the permit to sell within Vale's walls. My main advice would be to focus on the positives of having a local competitor to the Schnees'; the other two will be more open to cooperation. Yet, I'm afraid no matter what you do, Mr. Sinn will oppose you at every turn— so do be careful." Ozpin sipped his drink. "You will of course have my full support for your venture, and I will do my best to sway the other two if it comes down to a vote, which there is a fair chance of."
Jaune tilted his head. "If I may be so blunt, what has soured the Council towards you, Headmaster? I thought you had a rather close relation to them due to your popularity and your filling of a much needed vacant seat."
Ozpin chuckled. 'I'm afraid the simple answer is entirely due to my position. Now that the war is won, the Council is eager to return to business as usual. Unfortunately, that means ignoring the war and the effects of it on everyone else."
Jaune's eyes widened. "The veterans."
Ozpin nodded. "Yes, among others. The Council is content to bury their heads in the sand, so to speak, and ignore what is happening to the Kingdom around us. The Faunus themselves are another issue. I have been attempting to push reforms through, yet I am stonewalled at every turn by the other members. They feel it is far too soon to push extreme reforms, so they are content to merely pay lip service and nothing else."
Ozpin's eyes narrowed and Jaune felt a shiver run up his spine. "It vexes me; the way they so easily turned back to their old ways of thinking— have they not learned the lessons the war had so recently taught them? There is a far greater threat to us all than this infighting will bring."
Jaune nodded. "The Grimm." He clutched his cane tightly, the memories breaking through the barrier in his mind as easy as Ruby had. The two of them sat in silence for a minute before Ozpin sighed through his own, countless memories and looked back at Jaune.
"It gladdens me that you understand the true fight before us, and I hope you will help us in much the same way you boasted about several weeks ago; for we will need every advantage we can get." Ozpin stated, his demeanor rather cold compared to what Jaune was used to. Jaune guessed parts of Ozma had leaked through his current reincarnation during their conversation— a man on a mission with one singular purpose: unite them all.
Jaune had mixed feelings on the man, but he didn't show a single ounce of it then. "Of course, Ozpin." Jaune noticed the slight surprise that he used his actual name. "I know what's at stake." He clenched his cane, and noticed Ozma glanced in it's direction.
Ozma stared at it for a moment before he muttered, "I suppose you do." He closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Forgive my bluntness, Jaune. From what you've told me about your past, you would understand the depth of what I'm asking for."
Jaune nodded. "Unity. That's the only way we stop them. If we are not united, then we are lost." He said, trying to ignore the sudden gleam in Ozma's eyes.
After a few moments of silence, Ozma spoke, "Well, I hadn't anticipated that dour turn to our conversation, yet I find it to have been productive, nonetheless. Unless you have any other questions for me, I suppose we should part ways. I have a few meetings with our friends at the Council and you have a business to build." Ozpin said; Ozma's personality had faded back into the recesses of Ozpin's demeanor, like a serpent slithering back into the ground; hidden except for those who knew what to look for.
Jaune loosed his grip around the cane and stood. "I do believe that is all, Headmaster. If you don't mind sending a copy of that file to Jasmine, I would very much appreciate it— Know your enemies and all that." He made to leave, but paused.
"For what it's worth, Headmaster, I think you're doing an admirable job, even if Humanity isn't ready yet. I suppose we'll have to drag them kicking and screaming into the future; Isn't that right, Ozzylandia?"
Jaune smirked at Ozpin and waved his hand above his head. "Until next time, Headmaster."
As Jaune made his way through the vaunted halls of Beacon, it took nearly his entire willpower to not succumb to the memories he had tried to lock away. He had far too much on his plate to be dealing with his trauma; that could wait until he had more time.
His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash and a series of groans. He turned his head and spied a team he had been rapidly acclimating to the longer he spent in their time.
"Damn it, Qrow! I told you to stop wearing that skirt around campus!" He heard Raven Branwen call out to her brother.
"Nah, Rae. It's a fashion statement or so I'm told. Plus, the ladies love it." Qrow snarked to his sister, who had attempted homicide on her relative.
"Ha! They love it alright— their snickers when you pass by or loud enough to drown out your ego."
"They aren't the only one." He quipped.
Jaune actually heard Raven growl and wasn't that something he thought he'd never think aloud to himself. He looked to the side of the spectacle and saw Summer frantically trying to calm them down and keep them separated; an exercise in futility, while Taiyang laughed next to her.
It was eerie, how similar she resembled Ruby in her mannerisms— the same way she panicked, the same look of concentration and even stubbornness. Ruby really inherited nearly everything from her; poor Taiyang.
He sighed and approached. He exerted a tad bit more force with his cane to make the sound of it hitting the marble floor echo through the hall. At once, all four stiffened. He grinned and approached, even as they slowly turned to greet him, no doubt expecting Ozpin on their tails.
He saw the moment they realized he wasn't Ozpin and the way Summer pouted made his amusement grow further; even if the pang of loss that accompanied it wasn't as welcome.
"While I'm a poor substitute to your Headmaster, I think he wouldn't mind if I stepped in just this once to restore order before things…escalate. To property and other types of damage." He mused as he saw Qrow and Summer turn red in embarrassment while Raven turned her nose up at him.
Taiyang was still laughing.
Summer elbowed him in the side, and by the way he winced— she didn't hold back— and grimaced.
"Umm, sorry about that, Mr. Arc. Just a…minor disagreement?" She questioned to herself and looked to her teammates. As they nodded, she gained more bravado. "Yeah, a minor disagreement! It wouldn't have escalated any further," Jaune raised an eyebrow and he saw her gulp, "right you two?" She demanded from the twins.
Qrow looked at least minority apologetic, yet that probably only stemmed from being caught and Raven didn't have an ounce of apology in her body. Jaune narrowed his eyes. Could he change that? The Raven Branwen of the their present into one that wouldn't run in the future.
"I won't apologize, because I'm right—I would have won that fight." She admitted without an ounce of shame and Jaune couldn't help but guffaw. He gained Raven's full attention then.
"You don't believe me? I don't think you have the right to judge, cripple." She spat out with a vitriol he had forgotten existed in the woman.
Jaune froze and he saw out of the corner of his eye Summer and Taiyang paled. Qrow turned to his sister. "Oi, he's not the only one that uses a cane, remember?" He asked and Raven twitched. "Besides, you saw him take out those Grimm yourself— he isn't weak, Rae."
Raven scoffed. "Those Grimm could have been taken out by a toddler— they weren't strong; like me." She declared and grabbed Omen by the hilt.
"Raven Branwen!" Summer's voice struck him like thunder and Jaune had to use all of his self-control not to flinch. The other members of her team certainly did. "You have no right! Apologize to him. Now." She uttered and Raven flinched, yet only minutely.
Raven shook off her apparent shock and glared at Summer. "Make me." She declared and the hallway's temperature dropped like a rock.
Summer was angry in a way he hadn't seen before, and it went deeper than this argument. As much as he hadn't expected Raven to say that he really should have. Raven didn't sugar coat things and she certainly cared about strength. He should have put two and two together.
Regardless, the tension could be cut with a knife and Raven finally had enough and snorted. "That's what I thought."
She walked down the hallway and away from her remaining team members around him. Summer was shaking with rage while Qrow looked ready to chase after his sister and really get a fight going, while Taiyang wasn't sure where to stand. Ah, early days of team building. He did not miss that phase whatsoever. The parallels between Teams STRQ and RWBY really were obvious in hindsight.
"Well, I admit that could have gone better." Jaune finally said, breaking the tension with the group.
Summer whirled around to face and him and she bowed; old mistralian style. "I am so so sorry, Mr. Arc. I didn't think she had that much of a grudge against you for something out of your control."
Jaune waved off her apology. "Don't worry about it, Summer. And I thought I told all of you to call me Jaune, hmm?" He asked and Summer scratched her neck.
"Ah-ha. Yeah, okay." Her demeanor shifted again. "I just can't believe her sometimes! She has such an authority problem, it's ridiculous!" Summer complained.
Jaune eyed their surroundings and noticed the attention on them had steadily increased. "Perhaps we could discuss this somewhere slightly less…public?" He asked and Summer finally noticed the crowd that had slowly formed around them.
She sweat-dropped. "Uh, yeah. That sounds like a good idea, Jaune."
The other two agreed and they made their way to a bench near the center of the campus; one that was overlooked by a statue Jaune was intimately familiar with. His eyes stared into the soul of his ancestor; the one who forged Crocea Mors; the one he had grew up hearing stories of. His mind flooded with memories of his home and he shuddered.
Ru—Summer noticed and gave him a look. He shook his head and gave her his full attention.
"Now, I believe you had a question for me, Summer?" He asked, sitting on the bench below his ancestor. He massaged his knee and waited as Summer composed her thoughts.
"I don't know what to do with her, Jaune! I thought everything was good; we had gotten over the initial hurdles of being a team months ago; and suddenly something seems to have crawled up her backside and died! She refuses to cooperate with us other than to mess around and only engages with us when she finds it amusing!" Summer ranted and Jaune tried not to appear as taken back as he was.
Jaune waited while Summer got her breathing back under control. "Hmm, it appears the main problem is one of ideology; Raven believes the strong should remain supreme over the weak. Obviously, the rest of you take exception to this ideal." He said, leaning against the bench.
Qrow snorted. "Yeah, what she said was nearly word-for-word what our father told us when we left the tr— uh, village." Jaune hid his smirk at Qrow fumbling to conceal their origins. "I thought she gave that up when we came here, but something seems to have lit that spark in her again."
Jaune hummed contemplatively. He had a feeling he knew what that had been…
"Qrow, Taiyang— may I have a word with your leader in private?" He asked, a plan forming in his mind.
The other two looked at each other and then to Summer. She looked thoughtful for a moment before she nodded her assent. Qrow shrugged and slunk away while Taiyang gave her a thumbs-up. "We'll go find Rae; make sure she hasn't broken anything, or anyone. Call us when you're done." He said before racing to catch up to Qrow.
Summer looked to him with a question in her eyes and Jaune smiled. "I assumed you didn't want to air out all your dirty laundry to the rest of your team. You may tell them later what we talked about, but for now, I thought it prudent to speak to you alone; team leader." He said, his hand fiddling with the cane.
"I'll be brief; Raven doesn't respect you." He continued. "She is willful and strong; yet those two traits lead to stubbornness and arrogance which she has in spades. Tell me; what would you do to de-escalate and contain the situation before it spirals out of control?" He asked.
Summer looked annoyed. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, Jaune." She sighed through her nose but complied with his request. "Try and gain her respect somehow? I can sort of see what you're saying, but she hasn't complained openly about my leadership aside from the first day and hasn't had a problem following my orders before."
Jaune hummed. "That's because she finds it amusing; you haven't had a chance to really challenge her ideals on strength. Tell me; what do you think Raven values most in this world?" He asked, watching Summer fidget. He could tell she was nervous and frustrated, but she answered his question regardless.
"Strength would be my first answer, but I have a feeling that isn't right." She said and Jaune shook his head.
"No, what Raven Branwen values most is respect, even if she doesn't realize that herself." Jaune said. "She doesn't respect you because you have yet to fully challenge her on those values that you obviously don't agree with and she sees that as weakness." Jaune finished and watched as Summer contemplated his words.
Summer spoke up after a moment, a tad hesitant. "I…think I understand." She looked to him and a wide grin plastered over her face. "Thank you, Jaune." Ruby said.
Jaune's stomach flipped. "A-Anytime, Summer. Now, I should leave you to your team and get back to the office. My secretary might actually murder me if I don't come back in a timely manner!" Jaune had to force a grin on his face. He quickly got up and ignored the weird look Summer gave him while he sped away as fast as he could.
His hands were clenched tight onto his cane and his breath came ragged and uneven as he struggled to hold his lunch in. His hand shook as pulled open the door to the nearest bathroom and quickly made his way to a stall and emptied said lunch into the toilet.
His hands still shook as he clenched the toilet and gasped for air. He tried to get her smile out of his mind; the one Ruby always wore when she saw him. Even after everything they said to each other in the EverAfter, they had come away stronger than before. He couldn't find that strength even after he had seen Summer as much as he had since coming to the past.
"Fuck." Jaune said as he climbed out of the position he had been and tried to clean himself up. His hands still shook, but he no longer felt like the world might have slipped out from underneath him. He looked terrible, his hair was all over the place and his face was paler than Weiss's had ever been. He took a deep breath and tried to out on a smile.
It was shaky. Perhaps Jasmine wouldn't notice?
He entertained the thought for a moment before he sighed. Oh who was he kidding? She would see right through him. He breathed deeply out and forced himself to walk. He just had to keep that up—
He had to keep moving forward. For all of them. Even if it seemed impossible every day he lived. For the Ruby he couldn't save and the Summer Rose he never knew.
He had to at least try.
Sorry for the wait, I really shouldn't be keeping upload promises knowing how hectic my life is. Well, better late than never. Sorry if the editing isn't the best this chapter, I don't want to delay uploading this any longer and I think I caught almost everything my first pass.
Anyways, Thank you for reading, and don't forget—
Please comment and critique as you wish; every single comment I get fuels my muse and my willpower to keep writing.
Take care and until next time.