Arc 3 - Chapter 13 - Baby I'm Slowly Falling Out

"It seems you are finally adjusting to the restlessness of a Hunter's career, Mister Arc," said Doctor Oobleck.

Jaune stood with his arms crossed and stared at his latest problem through the one-way glass of the Vale police department's interrogation room. He recalled that exasperated look his aunt would make whenever he brought home his latest blunder and found himself with a newfound level of empathy. Now he understood. This was what it meant to be a Heart Hunter.

Constantly dealing with endless amounts of bullshit solely to maintain the organization's interests. Had he seriously expected the madness to end after escaping the Public Domain? Funnily enough, no. There would always be more problems. Wasn't that how life stayed interesting?

But then, he sure as hell had not expected Blake Belladonna of all people to become this much of a problem.

The interrogator grilled her with a stream of increasingly incriminating questions. What do you know? Who did you learn that information from? Have you told anyone else? Very quickly tearing down Blake's facade of bravery until she was fumbling over her words. Jaune felt a surge of pity for her, wanting to step in and stop the interview. Then he remembered how she had forced his hand and decided this was light punishment. He shivered. I'm starting to sound like the Superior.

"Have you spoken with Miss Nikos?" asked Oobleck.

Jaune shook his head. "She hasn't been at school lately. I tried talking to some of her classmates, but they didn't know a thing about her. She has no friends from what I've gathered. The loner type."

"Are absences a pattern for the girl?"

"I don't know."

"Find out. Until then, there seems to be no reason to investigate her further." Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "Though I suspect that Miss Belladonna might be at this alone, given the… audaciousness of her behavior.

Audacious is damn right. Jaune could only shake his head as Blake turned away from the agent, nostrils flaring in anger. As if she was someone of such honest character that a brute like him ought to be ashamed of mistreating. A punished child after acting up in public. From what had gathered, Blake had started looking for information on the organization, which was foolish yet understandable given the world-shattering nature of her experience. As Oobleck had said, it didn't matter if people searched for information since they were not likely to be believed.

But where Blake had crossed into the finger-wagging disapproval was how she'd somehow learned to drag people into the Public Domain without any training on her first attempt. Oobleck had explained that this was a rather advanced technique. One that he had never seen pulled off by an apprentice, let alone someone outside the organization. It was far easier to pull someone into one's own Heart World, and even that took considerable training. That, or a certain trait. But somehow Blake had done it.

The only question now was…

Jaune cleared the nervousness of his throat before speaking. "What are we going to do with her?"

Oobleck observed Blake for a long, studious minute. Like he was deliberating over a handful of equally unpleasant choices. "Very clearly, Miss Belladonna's recent experience has left her mentally disturbed. A common occurrence. One perhaps ignorable, if only she was not capable of pulling people into the Public Domain."

"Does that make her dangerous?"

"It makes her one of the most dangerous people on the planet. A threat to homeland security. A hazard to public safety."

Jaune swallowed. "I guess you're not being hyperbolic?"

"I am not."

They watched the interview for a while. Blake finally discovered enough integrity to answer the agent without being a smartass. Jaune wondered where she got such unfounded self-confidence from, then decided he was better off not knowing. He already had an idea of what Oobleck was going to do and he knew he couldn't let it happen. "Will you let me handle this?"

Oobleck did not look at him. "This is beyond your means. This situation is best left in professional hands, Mister Arc."

"I know her. I think I can, well, keep her under control."

"Is that so?"

Jaune had no idea. Blake was a stranger to him and more importantly, this new ability of hers was pretty threatening to him too, even if he could survive the Public Domain better than most. He imagined how just pissing the girl off could land him in an unknown location far away from rescue. Blake's ability really could be the end of him and many others if he didn't control her. But how? How do I control this girl I barely know? What exactly does she want?

A memory came back to him. Blake's warm breath in his mouth. Lips wet. Jaune banished the thought with a shake of his head. "I'll make her my new mark. I can keep her busy and make sure we spend a lot of time together." For the sake of the mission. Obviously. "Like you said, she's mentally distressed. If I can save her heart, then it should bring her back to her senses. Right?"

"Possibly. Human psychology does not work like science, Mister Arc. Your efforts could prove effective or have no effect at all. Meanwhile, I have solutions which would not hinge on possibilities."

"She's just being a dumb kid." I would know. "At least give me a chance before you do anything. Please. I can fix this."

Oobleck regarded him with a raised eyebrow for a long moment. Jaune didn't like to beg, but he really didn't like the idea of a peer being murdered. Another one, anyway. "Very well. Miss Belladonna will be released under your supervision. Not your Aunt's. Yours. You alone will suffer the consequences for her future actions." Oobleck said it like he was already convinced Blake would be his doom. Jaune had a hard time time disagreeing. "I suggest you do whatever you must to preserve the organization's interests." He looked at Blake, then back at Jaune again. "Whatever you must."

Her hot breath in his mouth. Soft lips. Intense for no reason. Passionate without cause. Jaune shook it all off. I'm overthinking this. I have to be.

Blake had said she wanted to save Adam's heart, which not only gave away how much she'd learned, but also left Jaune with more questions despite the simplicity of her demands. As far as he could tell, Adam was a perfectly adjusted and mature adult man. But then, she was his lover, and there were many things she would know that even Adam's closest friends wouldn't. And that made Jaune nervous. Did something happen? Is Adam okay? Did Blake do something to him?

If his heart needed saving, that meant he actually had two marks to clear, and he had to hope doing as Blake requested would be enough to make her return to a normal life. And he especially hoped that saving Adam's heart was all she wanted from him.

Because as it stood, whatever she demanded, he would have to give.

The agent gave the signal that the interrogation was over, and Jaune made sure to get to Blake first. He met her out in the precinct, where she met his eye like a defiant child awaiting punishment. Jaune didn't even acknowledge the agent and only glared at Blake, who held his gaze briefly, like a defiant child awaiting punishment, then turned away. What the fuck? What are you blushing for? For all the emotion he could read from her face, he saw no indication of remorse or apology.

"I'll take her from here," Jaune growled, and he snatched Blake by the arm and pulled her to the exit.

People gave them looks, and it was plain who was in the know by how those looks came across. The confused officers and detectives who only saw a young man dragging away a young woman, and the disguised agents who looked on with irritation and distrust, likely having heard how much of a problem the young man had been and the young woman could be. Once they'd left the building, Jaune dragged Blake to a shadowy corner where they couldn't be observed, and only with great hesitation did he let Blake go.

She seethed and rubbed her upper arm. "Did you have to grab me like that? Felt like you were trying to break my arm."

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

She glanced at him, then looked away and crossed her arms. "I have no idea what you mean."

"You were supposed to go back to your life. You were supposed to forget about all of this."

"Sure. Just forget everything, right? No big deal. Just an everyday occurrence to discover the existence of monsters and magic."

"And dragging me into the Public Domain? What was with that?"

"I wanted to see if it worked. The guy at that book club I mentioned was teaching everyone stuff that you Heart Hunters do."

Jaune clawed at his hair."Well, great job! Do you have any idea what's going to happen to them now?"

Blake blinked, as if she had only now considered the consequences of her actions. "I… won't they just get arrested?"

You sweet summer child… Jaune was very tempted to tell her the truth, but managed to stop himself. Did she really believe those people would simply get jail time? That was both incredibly naive and only slightly less cruel than sentencing them to death, which was the real outcome of this ordeal. Still, he couldn't burden her with that information. Not only for her sake, but because damaging her already frantic emotional state could cause more problems. The last thing he needed was her accidentally pulling innocents into the Public Domain. Who knew what those people in the club were like and how long they'd been in this business, but it was out of Jaune's power to help them. Blake, at least, he could save.

Jaune sucked in a breath, then sighed. "Yeah, arrested. And you'd be with them, had I not done anything."

Blake curled her lip. "Sorry."

"What's done is done. You wanted to be a part of this, right? Well, congrats. You're my first apprentice."

Blake looked at him, eyes shining like a kitten who'd seen its meal brought out. "Really?"

"But this is not a game!" Jaune jabbed a finger at her to emphasize his point. "Not. A. Game. You can get seriously hurt or killed doing this stuff. It requires self-sacrifice. This is not a profession for crybabies and cowards."

Blake nodded emphatically. "I understand."

"You really don't, so let me be clear. You'll follow my orders. Without question. Whatever I tell you to do, you do it. Understand?"

Blake's cheeks tinted red a little. "Okay..."

"From now on, I want to see you at school every single day. Thanks to you, I need to change my whole schedule and classes around just to keep an eye on you. You go to school and you go home, that's it. You don't go anywhere else without telling me. Is that clear?"

"Am I that untrustworthy?"

Well, let's see. Despite being blatantly warned and threatened, you attempted to uncover government secrets, succeeded, then used that dangerous information on an agent of the very organization you were told not to meddle with. To call you untrustworthy would be generous. Jaune closed the distance between him and Blake, making her look up at him. "Is that clear?"

Again she looked away, but nodded.

Jaune backed up. "I'll need a couple of days to change my schedule to fit around yours. I shouldn't have to say it, but until then, do not cause any more trouble."

"Believe it or not, I do try to avoid trouble."

"Well, I don't believe you. Seriously, Blake. What is all this about? You said you wanted to save Adam's heart, but do you even know what that means?"

Blake thought for a moment. "I mean, sort of. I guess I thought you'd explain it in detail. After I… convinced you."

At least that proved the club she'd been part of didn't know the greater details of the profession. They were likely just some fanatics who had discovered the means to enter the Public Domain. Maybe even got some information from a rebel or a bribed agent. Had Blake known more, it would have been far harder to keep her in line. "What did they teach you? How do you enter the Public Domain?"

"The guy said, well…"

"Well what?"

"He said it requires ill intent. That's how he described it."

"Ill intent? What does that even mean?"

"Whoever you drag in. You have to feel a strong emotion toward them. A negative one. I guess, you have to want to hurt them in some way."

Jaune was taken aback for a moment. "So you wanted to hurt me?"

"No!" Blake protested. "I mean, I was angry. For you not telling me the whole truth. And for… not including me."

"Not including you?"

"You offered Pyrrha a place as an agent. I was pissed. So I used that and—"

Jaune waved his hands before him to stop her. "Wait, wait, wait. What the hell are you talking about? I did not offer Pyrrha to become a Hunter."

Blake blinked at him. "But Pyrrha said you did."

"What?"

"In the library a few days ago. She told me you dragged us into the PD on purpose, to test our potential. Then she said you invited her to join, only she declined. That's when she told me about the Book Buddies club."

Jaune's mind was spinning. "Blake, none of that happened. I haven't spoken to her since we left the PD."

"So what then? She lied? Or she's crazy?"

Worse. Pyrrha knew something. At the very least, Pyrrha had uncovered information about the organization and learned enough to get Blake caught in the web. Forget the how. The bigger question was why. Why tell Blake such a lie? Why send Blake of all people down this rabbit hole? Now, on top of this mess with Blake, he would have to corner Pyrrha and perhaps have her interrogated as well. Only how would Oobleck take that? He already wasn't keen on leaving Blake in his custody. He would not give Pyrrha the same mercy. Jaune had to keep this to himself in order to protect her. He had no choice.

A headache had come on now, and Jaune felt his brain could handle no more. He would go to bed early tonight because the next few weeks were going to be the most stressful he'd had in a long while.

Jaune saw the bus pull up at the stop, then motioned Blake to follow. "For now, let's just go home. Don't mention anything about Pyrrha to anyone, or all of us will be getting hauled off to jail. I mean it, Blake."

Blake nodded. "I won't say anything. All I want is to save Adam's heart. Just teach me how to do that and we're square."

Jaune imagined they were pretty square after he'd saved their lives, but Blake had probably forgotten about that. As he and Blake sat together, he glanced at her sidelong as she took a call. One thing was for sure, the girl next to him was hiding something herself. And suddenly his conversation with Yang about Blake had come back to him. How they'd dated once, sometime last summer. But if she was with Adam now, then was their relationship new? It seemed like Adam and Blake had more history than that. And what of that history? What had happened to them that upon discovering an opportunity to help Adam in some way, Blake immediately jumped on it?

He had stopped doing any Heart Hunting work as a form of self-punishment, but it seemed he had to start his work up again in order to fix all of this. The objective was simple. Find out the truth behind Blake and save her heart. And possibly Adam's.

He just hoped things went more smoothly than in Qrow's heart.

After a few days of preparation, Jaune summoned Blake to the school pool after class for her first day of training.

He waited there now, every minute feeling like an eternity, as he thought over the last couple of days. He'd explained the situation to Aunt Peach and Neptune and Ruby, all of whom had varying responses. Ruby, of course, was worried and warned him to be careful. Neptune had seemed skeptical of Blake, asking himself the same hows and whys that Jaune had. Aunt Peach had been more troubled by the fact that Oobleck had turned Blake over to Jaune's custody. Not only for the rare mercy of it, but that he had given her to Jaune, who was himself an apprentice. Peach had gone to have to conversation with him about the matter, but apparently, Oobleck had not been forthwith. He said the commands came from higher up and that Jaune is to accomplish the task he put on himself. So that was that. No one trusted the situation any, Jaune least of all, but what else could you do when you had orders?

He hadn't had a chance to investigate Blake yet, if only because he wasn't sure how to go about it. For all of a pain in the ass Blake was being, he didn't want to have to intrude on Adam's privacy when there was seemingly no reason. He'd yet to grill Blake about her reasons for wanting Adam's heart saved, so perhaps that was the best place to start. Maybe once he'd worn her ass out, she'd be more forthcoming with answers. Jaune cringed at that second to last line of his. Horrible imagery, good god.

It was then that Blake walked through the doors, a bag slung over her shoulder. "Hey," she said simply, approaching him.

Jaune cut right to business. "Brought what I told you?"

"Pulled a school swimsuit from the gym. I figured that would be fine. That's fine, right?"

"That works." He nodded toward the pool. "This is the entrance."

Blake stared at the pool in wonder. "This pool? It goes into someone's heart world?"

"That's what Keys are, yeah."

"Keys?"

"That's what we call the entrances to Heart Worlds. Specific to every person. But let's save the lesson plan till we get started."

"Whose does this belong to?"

"That's none of your business. All that matters is that this is a place we can train."

Blake put on a sour face. "Alright."

A moment of silence passed between them. "Any plans for the rest of today?"

Blake shook her head. "Adam's at work already. I was just gonna stay home and clean."

"You really just stay home all day, like a housewife?"

"What's wrong with being a housewife?"

"I just never took you for the type."

Blake turned her narrow eyes on him. "And what type do you take me for?"

Jaune immediately regretted having said that. He thought back on how he let slip out his thoughts about Cinder, and how he'd felt like a complete asshole then. He decided it was best to move on. "We're getting off-topic. Anyway, this means we have a lot of time to teach you the basics. So long as you focus, I think you'll learn quickly. Especially since you can already dive into the PD. You might learn faster than I did."

Blake adopted a small trace of a smile, though it was fleeting. "Sounds good."

"Then go on and get changed." said Jaune, "The bathroom is—"

The words died in his mouth. Blake had already started changing. Right in front of him.

He almost didn't remember it, how she unbuttoned her shirt without a single mistake, slipped it off, and tossed it aside all in one smooth motion. Left her in a modest black bra, showing off more than enough of her cream-white skin, the top of her supple breasts. She'd halfway gotten off her tights, revealing matching black—

"What are you doing?" Jaune barked. "The changing room is over there!"

"What's the difference?" Blake snapped back.

Jaune had no immediate response and chose to turn around instead. "Whatever!"

"Big bad monster slayer afraid of a little skin."

Jaune gave her an amused chuckle. "Please. Be glad someone appreciates your body more than you do."

"You appreciate my body?"

Jaune let out an indignant squeak. "You know what I meant!"

"No, I really don't. Done now."

Already this was getting to be a trial and a half, but Jaune turned to face her and found himself relieved. For about a second.

It was a dark red one piece swimsuit. Made for athletic performance and most importantly, modesty. The tailors who created these works of scientific genius had studied the human body and put years of thought, technique, and consideration into every facet of the product in order to accomplish the monumental task of making the suit look as unsexy as possible. And they had failed miserably.

It hugged her body so perfectly that it seemed to be a part of her skin. No unnecessary creases anywhere, and necessary creases exactly where they were meant to be. Hourglass figure. Healthy. Fit. Delicate looking. She was facing the wall opposite them, and that revealed to him the full shape of her behind. So round that it certainly generated its own gravitational pull. And what revolved around it, one might ask? The eyes of every man or woman who saw it, no doubt.

Then she turned to him and he was strangely disappointed, but not for long. He realized he hadn't actually given Blake a real look. She had simply been another face in the crowd. But now, he wondered why he had been so blind.

She was outrageously beautiful. To the point that he wondered what products she used, if she used any at all. A sharp face, smooth yet angular. Piercing yellow eyes, watchful as a cat in the night. Wavy hair, black as sable, without a strand out of place.

God himself had carved this creature out of the finest marble with his own hammer and chisel. And instead of keeping her in heaven with all his other perfect works, he had sent her down to Remnant with the sole intention of showing off to the world. You see that? I made that.

"Well?" said Blake, "What do you want me to do?"

Jaune fought hard to keep his thoughts from going anywhere illicit and put his mind to the task at hand. "Right so… it's simple. Just put the host at the front of your mind and… well, open your heart to them."

Blake squinted at him. "Open my heart?"

"Erm well," Jaune tried to think of a way to explain it. "Think of it like, you're listening to a friend who needs someone to vent to. You're giving them your full attention. No judgement. Just trying to understand. Does that make sense?"

"I don't have many friends."

"Isn't Sun your friend? Isn't Yang?"

"Were. Can we move on with the lesson?"

Jaune took a moment to think, came up with an idea, then sighed because he very much did not like it. "Come sit with me."

Blake padded over to him, and together they dangled their legs over the edge of the pool. Jaune stared at it for a moment, the slow moving ripples, the strange blue color, the smell of the chlorine. Almost hypnotizing.

"So let's play a game. One of us asks a question and both of us answer. It can be any question you want, but you can skip any you don't want to answer, but that does mean the other person can't answer either. And no we can't cheat and ask questions related to the one we skip, just so you don't think I'm trying to trick you. Just an honest ask and answer. How does that sound?"

"Like a waste of time. I thought we were supposed to be diving into hearts."

Jaune sighed. "Blake, what do you think Heart Worlds are?"

She paused. "What do you mean?"

"They're not just alternate dimensions. It's not like going to another planet. They are worlds born from people's hearts. They're souls, more like." Jaune looked into the water. "Everything about that person. Everything they've been through, their thoughts, feelings, hopes, fears. All of that takes physical shape in their own Heart Worlds. Do you get it? If you dive into someone's Heart World, you are trying to get to know them on the most intimate level possible. You're intruding on their darkest, most personal secrets." He looked at her. "This is why I said it's not a game. These are people's lives we're messing with. If you want to be a part of this, then take it seriously. And if you mean to save Adam's heart, then be prepared to see things you might not want to."

He saw Blake swallow, and while normally it was hard to get a read on her, in this instance her ignorance was plain to see. "Okay." she said.

Jaune nodded. "Well, like I said, questions game. Guess I should go first. Favorite color?"

"Black." Blake answered.

"Yellow. Your turn."

"Favorite music genre. I like romance."

"That's not a genre." Jaune said.

"Fine. Blues, then. And classical."

"You're overflowing with class." Jaune said, "Anyway. I like Rock, punk, and metal."

Blake rolled her eyes. "Do you cut yourself often on that edge?"

"My edges tend to hurt others. So try not to get on my bad side any more than you already have. My turn…"

They went on like that for a while, trading basic information, passing a snide comment here and there. None of it informed Jaune much about her. She was an only child with two loving parents, so she said. She liked to paint and read and watch movies. She hated dogs, which automatically made her three times more punchable, but liked cats. At least she seemed somewhat into the game. Even if it was plain she still had her guard up. He thought to finally start using more personal questions, but to his luck and surprise, Blake had taken initiative.

"How many girls have you slept with?"

Jaune coughed. "What do you want to know that for?"

Blake shrugged.

Jaune thought to skip, but realized that might set a bad precedent. Damn this girl. "None."

Blake huffed. "Liar."

"Swear to God."

"What? Couldn't convince Ruby to put out?"

"Neither of us are ready for that yet. Besides, if I was gonna lie, I would inflate my numbers."

Blake seemed to concede that. "Fair enough. One."

"One?"

"How many girls I've slept with."

"Mm. Right. My turn then. How many guys have you slept with?"

"Twelve."

Jaune looked her up and down. "Really?"

Blake chuckled. "Of course not. If I was going to lie, I'd tell you only one or two, no matter how many I actually did. Don't tell me you actually believed me?"

"I don't care either way. Anyway, what's the real number."

"Just one. Adam. I guess that should be obvious. He was… my first."

Jaune nodded. "Guess it's my turn."

"Wait," Blake said, "If you really aren't lying, why haven't you slept with anyone? Aren't you seventeen?"

Jaune gave it a bit of thought. "Maybe I just don't have sex on the brain like everybody else. Truth is, I just don't want to. Not yet."

"You're seventeen. Don't you care that you've never slept with anyone?"

Jaune huffed. "Am I supposed to? Why can't I just be the way I am? People care too much about what other people do."

Blake shook her head. "You're weird for a guy."

"Better than following the herd. Any more questions about my sex life?"

Blake sighed. "I guess not. Fine. Your turn."

Again they went on, and Jaune learned a handful of surprising things. Despite hating dogs, Blake was an animal activist and was considering becoming a veterinarian. Her parents had wanted more children, but apparently, her birth had been tough, so they opted to stick with one, though Blake was convinced she'd be an exceptional older sister. An hour went by with them just talking, and a couple of times Jaune had to remind himself they were supposed to be training.

"What do you want out of life?" Jaune asked.

"That's a vague question." answered Blake.

"I mean like, the future. What's something you really want to have? More than anything?"

Blake took a moment to consider that. She kicked a feet a little, dragged her toes on the surface of the water. "Skip."

"Really? Whats wrong with that one?"

"Skip."

Jaune rolled his eyes. "Whatever, your turn."

"What's your biggest fear?"

Jaune looked at the water again. Just seeing it made him feel like he was being choked. "... skip."

There was a period of silence between them. All that could be heard was the gentle lapping of the water. In trying to get Blake to open up, he nearly had to open up himself. That wasn't at all how this was supposed to work.

Finally, Jaune stood up. "Well, that's enough. The point is that diving into someone's heart means you have to have a healthy amount of sympathy for people. And use it to do good. Do you get it now?"

Blake followed him up. "Not really."

"I guess you'll just have to watch and see."

"Wait. Where's your swimsuit?"

"Don't need one. I've dived into this world plenty of times. I figured you wouldn't want to keep jumping in a pool with soaked clothes."

Blake stepped back and gestured forward. "Alright. Demonstrate."

Jaune huffed. "Right, well. Watch closely."

As he'd done dozens of times, Jaune jumped fully into the pool. Only this time, found himself swallowed by the cold water. He hadn't held his breath, so the shock made him open his mouth and swallow a gulp. His heart was in a frenzy, he lashed for a wild moment. Felt like something was holding him. The water was holding him down. Drowning him. Drowning. Then he burst out of the water, and clung to the edge like a kitten after a bath, teeth chattering.

He looked up to see Blake having hid her mouth behind her hand, but from her eyes, he could tell she was trying not to laugh. She cleared her throat, gave him an impassive look, but was unable to hold it as she said, "Impressive."

"That's not what was supposed to happen."

"I gathered that. Still, it was well done. Making yourself look like a fool."

Jaune crawled up onto the ground and looked toward the water. He had used the technique right. He always used the technique right. Was it because he was out of practice? It sounded plausible, but Jaune had carried the same confidence now as he had before. There was no reason he should have failed the dive. So what then? Had he overestimated his abilities?

Or… was this pool no longer Neptune's key?

"What now?" asked Blake.

Peach always had her watch so there was no access to that. Ruby's and Qrow's Heart Worlds were still under confiscation by the organization and there was no way to get close. There were no other Heart Worlds for him to access. Except…

Jaune sighed. "I guess we use the Public Domain."

"For my training?"

"You have any better ideas?"

Blake gave no answer.

"When do you need to be home?"

"Adam gets off at eleven."

"Are those hours consistent?"

"That's hows he's worked for years."

Jaune nodded. "Good. It's too late now, but when we get out of class, that leaves us an eight-hour window. The Public Domain's portal opens every seven hours in real-time. Meaning we'll get seven days eorth of training every day, if you're not too delicate for that."

Blake smacked her lips. "Just make sure you know what you're talking about next time, Mister Open-Your-Heart." She pointed at his dripping clothes. "You're embarrassing yourself in front of your apprentice."

"Shut up." groaned Jaune.

"You shut up."

Three days and six hours in surface world time, and Blake could spin that chain sickle like she'd been doing it all her life.

Sure, technically it was more than twenty days of training, but Jaune still wondered how people learned so quickly, but according to Peach that was still unknown. There were theories, such as the nature of Heart manifesting the needs of those inside, awakening hidden potential, thus enhancing their ability to learn things which would normally take years in a far shorter amount of time. Sounded plausible, if a bit hand-wavy. Of course, being able to spin a weapon in a fancy way was far different than fighting with it. Blake was not there quite yet.

Blake's powers had given her an outfit that was both expected and kind of surprising. She wore a sort of black kimono with violet nightshade patterns. With a high skirt and long flapping sleeves that fell past her hands in length. Yet that somehow never inhibited her ability to handle weaponry. Her hair was bound in a high bun, kept taut with purple pins and accessories. She wore high black stockings that stopped halfway up her thighs and split-toe sandals, which somehow silenced her every step. Making her practically impossible to fight without seeing her.

"Done ribbon twirling?" Jaune goaded, "You still haven't hit me."

Blake frowned at him, but she seemed ready for another round. Something materialized over her face. What he believed was a kind of geisha ritual mask. A white human face with red markings around the eyes, across the face like cat whiskers, and thick around the lips. Once it had taken full form, the black eye holes sparked to life with a purple light, like a demon peering into the human realm.

Blake winded her arm back, then flung the sickle spinning toward him. A good throw this time. Accurate and strong, Jaune could tell, even as he smacked it aside with his bare hand. "Again," he commanded.

Blake pulled the chain to her left, reversing the momentum, and bringing the blade back at Jaune's neck. Jaune caught it without looking, but faintly heard the sizzling hiss coming off the blade. A corrosive black ink. Definitely a Curse-type.

"You won't hit me like this. Don't think so linearly." Jaune tossed the chain back. "Again. And do better this time."

The moment Blake caught her sickle, it melted into a pool of black ink. Then reshaped as a giant and heavy-looking throwing star, which even Jaune had to admit to feeling a little intimidated by.

Blake seemed to vanish where she stood, but only a moment, for she reappeared a hundred feet in the air. A shadow against the white shattered moon. Then she hurtled toward him, chucked the throwing star with both hands. The sound of the weapon, like a high pitched helicopter, so fast as to be a blur.

Jaune would have caught it, but didn't want to risk the ink touching his skin. Instead, the throwing star burled into the ground as Jaune jumped to safety, but by then, Blake was already on her next attack. She came at him with a single dagger, and that was where she'd made her mistake.

It was becoming increasingly clear that Blake was not meant to be a close range fighter. The tools she used, the nature of her semblance and element, and even the frailty of her body seemed to point to her playing the ranged game. That made her a little more tricky to train, given Jaune was the polar opposite, but it was too late to ask for help now.

He stepped back from her first few cuts, weaving right to left with ease, then he backhanded Blake's next cut and sent the blade spinning away. He made sure to hold back his strength as he booted her in the chest, sending her tumbling across the pavement.

Jaune shook his head. "You did better than this yesterday. Do you need a bre—"

And Blake melted into a pool of black ink. A clone.

Jaune jumped back out of pure guesswork, and to his luck, he'd been right to. Two clones came sprinting from opposite sides, blades in hand, and now they crashed into each other, exploding in a shower of ink.

Honestly, the fact that she could sprint without being heard at all was broken as hell.

More clones came leaping at him from the shadows. Maybe ten in total. Jaune materialized a spear and slashed through the closest one, being sure to double back so the corrosive ink didn't touch him. Two more on him. He stabbed the spearhead into the ground, shifted his weight and vaulted into the air. There, he ripped the spear free and raised it over his head, then drove it through the second clone. The third came with a wide cut, but Jaune spun away, materialized a baseball bat and bashed it so hard that it flew through the air before popping like an overblown bubble.

Seven on one, but Jaune loved such odds. He spun away as one clone slashed at him, swept it off its feet. Without looking, he threw his elbow into the face of one that attacked from behind, kicked it away before it could explode, then crushed the head of the grounded one before it could get up.

He stared at the ruined head of the clone. Crushed with ease. Too weak for him. Jaune allowed himself a small grin.

Short-lived however, as he was forced to dance away from the next barrage. One clone hurled a flurry of ninja stars his way, but it was a simple matter to step out of range.

As far as he understood her semblance, it seemed to be ink generation and manipulation. Only the ink had a corrosive property to it. Thankfully none of it had touched his skin yet, but that property significantly enhanced Blake's offensive pressure. She certainly seemed to lack the tools for a good defense, but perhaps that was the trade off.

Three Blake clones kept up a limitless hail of shuriken. Spawning them from the ink, then flinging deadly steel. Jaune weaved, ducked, parried, jumped, every maneuver necessary to escape the onslaught. Still, it was best not to leave room for a mistake. It was time to find the real Blake.

Jaune threw his bat at one of the clones and it plunged right through before she could dodge. He spawned another bat and sprang toward the next, kicked it down with both feet, then flung the bat at the third one, confident it would finish it off. He turned to the third, ready to take it out, then saw something out of the corner of his eye.

The clone he'd meant to take out with the bat had sprang toward him, two daggers in hand, mask eyes burning purple fire. The real Blake, no doubt. Not bad, but not enough.

Jaune tried to jump away, but the clone on the ground had grabbed his leg. While it wasn't very strong, it didn't need to be. The clone was just close enough that Jaune would be forced to destroy it, or else take a hit. But of course, once he did destroy it, that ink would melt him to the bones. She's learning.

"Reject!" Jaune shouted. And he expelled a force of his own energy, destroying both clones and spraying their ink across the pavement. She'd forced him to use his semblance. That was well done.

His senses went off and he spun around and just barely avoided the sickle slash. The point of the blade grazing his cheek. He grabbed Blake by the arm, lifted her over his back. Then he felt her torque her body while in his grip, turning so she could lock her legs around his waist just as he pinned her to the ground.

He just barely caught the movement of her hand, but was just quick enough to grab her wrist before the blade could run him through, and pinned that above her head. Her pained outcry made it evident that she was done.

All that could be heard was her labored breaths. Her legs still fastened around him, but we're trembling with exhaustion. The mask faded away, and Blake let her head fall back as she sucked in sweet air, sweat running down her neck, moaning like it had been the most intense workout she'd had in years.

"I win." she gasped.

"You pass. There's a difference."

"What," Blake said, "ever."

He stared at her and she at him. Jaune wasn't sure what to make of her. She was doing surprisingly well in so short a time. Honestly, it was good to be training again. It was good to have someone to train with, even if she wasn't quite at his level yet.

Now that the adrenaline was winding down, Jaune could help but notice the uncomfortable position they were in. He on top and pressing her down, her legs wrapped invitingly around his waist. His heart began to speed up again, but for an entirely different reason.

Then, there was the look in Blake's eyes. An unmistakable look. Desire. Eyes dilated, pink lips parted, breath hot. As if she had surrendered completely to her most base instincts. As if she was imploring him to do the same.

Maybe he…

Ruby's smile entered his mind, bright and beautiful. He thought of Adam, his wise grin, supportive and heroic. Both were like stop signs on the road. Go no further.

"Alright Blake. We're done. You can let me go now." Jaune said, trying not to immediately pull away.

Blake didn't move for a moment, but her expression softened. After an extremely long and uncomfortable second, she set him free, and Jaune did his best not to seem disgusted as he got to his feet and brushed himself down. An awkward moment, that's all. Nothing to worry about.

"What do you want to do now?" asked Blake, "Since we're done and all. Do I get to fight Grimm now?"

Jaune put his hands on his hips and chose to look at the ground so that he couldn't give his wild thoughts a visage to latch onto. "Soon. The Grimm here are too tough to train you against for the moment. But you're getting there."

"Then, what about Adam's heart? When do we start on that?" Blake paused. "You haven't even told me how looking for the Key even works."

And that's on purpose. The last thing I need is you using that knowledge for something else insane. "The process takes a lot of time. We can't rush it. You just focus on your training so that you'll be ready for the dive when it's time." And meanwhile, I'll uncover what's really going on. Find your Heart World and crib this mess before it gets any more out of control."

"Alright, I guess," said Blake.

There was an awkward silence between them. They both knew why, Jaune was sure, but he'd be damned if he brought it up. "Come on. Let's go home. Same time tomorrow?"

"Whatever." Blake said, storming ahead of him with her arms crossed. Just like how she's done when they'd first fallen into the PD. When she'd been angry with him. What was she angry at him for this time? He had no clue and had not the energy to care. Soon enough, she wouldn't be his problem.

Jaune huffed and strode behind her, whispering, "Yeah. Whatever."

"You're serious?" Ruby gasped with excitement over the phone.

Jaune had to admit hearing that joy in her voice breathed life into him. "Yeah, I'm serious. I thought about it and… yeah, you were right. Maybe I was just scared. But I want to go. I think… maybe I need to go."

Ruby proceeded to squeal with happiness, babbling about all the fun they were going to have on the trip, about all the cool things they'd see. It had more appeal now than before. He wasn't sure what had put it all into perspective—Jaune looked across at Blake, who sat across from him, typing at her phone boredly—but he wanted to make Ruby happy no matter what. That's what she deserved from him. Honesty, capability, loyalty. Especially that last one.

"It's gonna be so fun. I'm so happy you want to go! Oh, Dad's calling me. I'll call you tomorrow okay? I love you!"

Jaune glanced across at Blake. He caught her looking at him from beneath her brows, only to quickly look away. "I love you too." he said.

He half expected Blake to say something condescending, but she was showing considerable restraint at the moment. Either that or she didn't really care and Jaune was imagining things.

After a few minutes of silence on the bus, Blake started to doze off. She periodically succumbed to exhaustion, only to snap awake again.

"Just sleep," said Jaune, "We won't be home for a while."

Blake didn't say anything. Just sat there, continually failing to stay awake. At the risk of knocking her head on the seat, Jaune did something he didn't really want to. He sat beside her.

She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't read into it. I just don't need you knocking your head and thinking that's an excuse to skip training." And Jaune relaxed into the backrest. "Besides, aren't we supposed to be friends? Better take advantage of my generosity while you can. I don't do this for just anyone."

Again, Blake said nothing, but she did lose the suspicious look. She scooted closer till their sides were practically glued together, then wrapped both arms around his left. "Alright, that's a little—" Jaune protested, but Blake had already laid her head on his shoulder and settled comfortably against him. Her last words were, "Shut up already."

So Jaune did. He'd made the offer, so he resigned himself to it. It meant nothing, he told himself. His sisters would hug his arms and sleep on him all the time and he never questioned himself on that front. This was just being supportive to a friend. A friend with issues. A lot of issues.

Still, he couldn't help but watch her as she slept. A strange instance of vulnerability that he hadn't thought to ever see from her. Blake never had a look of peace. Even when he didn't know anything beyond her name, she'd always seemed to be in a perpetual state of anxiety. As if fearing a slap from anyone she came across, which contrasted confusingly with how arrogant she acted at times. Two very extreme, very conflicting qualities packaged together in this tragedy of a personality. No doubt her heart world reflected that.

Wanting Blake off his back notwithstanding, he found himself wanting to unravel this mystery for the sake of his own curiosity. First off, what the hell did Adam see in her? They were worlds different. Opposites attract simply didn't cut it as an explanation. For that fact, what had Yang and Sun seen in her that they'd liked so much? What about Blake's parents? Were there any other friends she had?

It was time he started asking these questions. But who to start with? Perhaps it was better put off until tomorrow. Jaune simply relaxed and watched the girl resting on his shoulder with a strange kind of pity. What is going on with you? Jaune couldn't help but wonder.

Blake's soft breathing was the only response.

I swear every time I introduce a new Jaune and (insert character) dynamic it becomes my new favorite. These two together are the worst for each other in the best possible way.

See you in the next one.