After one long dream last chapter, it's nice to be in the real world again. Jaune has some work to do this chapter, as he's finally going to get the plot rolling again. I think I will have to commission a picture of Zwei using one of the Ghostbuster guns for fun though. It's too adorable not to. Also, just because I know this is true, Jaune and Weiss will not get together in this story. No White Knight here. They will be friends because I like their dynamic too.
Special thanks to Neoshadows for Betaing.
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Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.
The next day had been a little awkward for Jaune and Weiss. Randomly dropping into a close friend's innermost world with aspects of an old ghost-busting movie and the trauma of her maybe-ex haunting some old-timey mansion and morphing into a demonic apparition of hellfire, would do that to you. Neither could look at Blake in the face after they visited her dream. Especially with how things had ended when a certain sun dragon Huntress was added. Which, of course, made breakfast super awkward. What did help was Blake seemed to be avoiding Jaune, but he knew she was probably embarrassed due to her nightmare. After all, she never did admit comics were better, but dreaming that was true probably was enough to unnerve the literature prude.
Shame he couldn't rub it in a bit.
Weiss though seemed to want to change that.
"We really should tell them about it," Weiss pointed out when they finally had a chance to talk privately. Breakfast was over and their teams had gone their separate ways, but the two had made up an excuse to their friends to meet up. "Even now that we know the trigger to your Semblance, accidents are bound to occasionally occur. They should at least be aware of the possibility."
"I know and I want to tell them…" Jaune shook his head slightly. "Every day I tell myself I should… but imagine this Weiss. Let's say we both get our teams together and tell them about my Semblance. Blake is going to realize what happened last night. Do you think she's going to just go; 'Oh, that was an accident, okay. You guys are forgiven.' Especially after we saw both Yang and her swapping spit and…you know? The whole ex thing?"
"Ah… I see your point." Weiss slowly nodded with a slight blush as she thought about it. "She'll be mortified and probably avoid us for a while. Maybe even hate us."
"Exactly!" Jaune pointed at her, glad she understood so quickly. "Do you see why I kept avoiding telling anyone? Do you even know how many embarrassing and mortifying situations I found myself witnessing?! Here's a hint: Blake's not the only one who's been fantasizing grown-up wrestling Yang! It's pretty much a tag! The only reason you know is you're smart enough to put the pieces together. I wouldn't have told you otherwise."
"I almost did kill you to hide my secret." The heiress admitted softly.
"Eh, I would have understood," Jaune assured her nonchalantly. "I'm still glad you didn't though."
"Yeah, it was a good decision on my part." Weiss brushed her hair back with one hand as she smiled. He really didn't have the heart to hell it wasn't exactly a good thing to be proud of.
"There's another reason I'm worried about telling others about my Semblance." The boy admitted, rubbing his nose.
"What's that?"
"Do you think Nora or Ruby are going to keep quiet when they hear about my ability to take people into other's dreams? Granted, it's a new aspect of my semblance I'm not entirely sure I can control right now, but still." Jaune asked her, his eyes full of worry. "They would want to have so many dream adventures. Ruby might want me to keep bringing her into your dream so the two of you could hang out all night. Time passes differently in dreams too, so you might spend what feels like years that way."
"That does sound like her." Weiss rubbed her chin, concern seeping into her words. "Though Yang might try to convince you to bring her just to prank me in my own dreams."
"If she flirts with me, I can't promise my will can hold against her. Have you seen her gauntle-...Ow! Hey!"
Weiss had punched him in the arm.
"That's not very lady-like!" The boy protested.
"Shush, you deserved it." Weiss glared at him. "Don't mention Yang flirting in front of me right now."
"Weiss…I wasn't kidding around with the whole Yang thing earlier. You need to know that most people will have dirty dreams of attractive people." Jaune sighed and rubbed his arm. She had hit him rather hard for such a thin body. "There's nothing to be ashamed of and you know I won't tell Yang what happened."
"You better not, I don't have any feelings for her like that." Weiss crossed her arms defiantly.
"Do you think I would?" The boy asked, raising an eyebrow.
Slowly, Weiss shook her head and her gaze softened. Jaune then sighed and looked up at the ceiling. Thinking about what Weiss said, he realized it was probably time. It would be better for them to know sooner than later, to prevent thinking he was enjoying invading their dreams. Blake might get really pissed at him though. She might even get mad at Weiss, though Jaune really thought Weiss helped a lot with the nightmare before it got out of hand.
This was…a sticky situation to be treading into. While he trusted his friends, especially his teammates, with his life, he felt what he was about to reveal would change things between them all. He didn't like how such a secret, one he'd been keeping for some time now, had the potential to drastically turn all his good will and deeds upside down.
"We… we should tell them." Jaune finally conceded with a deep sigh. "Tomorrow. Let's let Blake calm down a bit first. I feel like she's a little unnerved from the dream. She won't even meet my eye and keeps turning away whenever I so much as glance her way."
"You made it vivid for her and it was pretty heavy." Weiss agreed softly. "And we don't know if it was even more so because I was there, with my own Aura added to the mix."
"True, I didn't even consider that." Jaune's eyes went wide. "Imagine a dream being so real that you can fully remember it like you were actually there."
"Would be nice in some situations." Weiss looked back toward Beacon. "Then in other cases, it would drive me insane and even terrify me."
"You're just not used to it." Jaune assured her, patting her shoulder. "The insanity and randomness you get used to quickly. The nightmares are another story." His eyes dimmed, mind wandering back to those traumatic and haunting scenes. "They are unnerving to see and knowing they are affecting my friends is even worse. Almost like accidentally stumbling onto a disease they've been keeping from you and ignoring."
Weiss stared at him for a moment, biting the corner of her lip. Slowly, she turned to face him.
"When you tell everyone tomorrow, I'll be there to give support." She smiled up at him. "I know you're not doing anything sleazy and I'm pretty sure if the others hear me say so, they will agree."
"Honestly, you would have been the hardest to convince." A laugh burst out of Jaune. "I can see your reaction if I told you all and you didn't realize it yourself."
"I wouldn't kill you… probably… Ruby would stop me at least." Weiss let out a slight giggle.
"I appreciate the honesty." Jaune rolled his eyes as he tried not to laugh. "Can you bring your team over around 10 tomorrow since we don't have any classes? I'm sure everyone will be awake by then. I'll text you if something happens before then."
"What could possibly happen?"
"I see a super embarrassing dream of someone and I don't want them to know I saw it when it's fresh."
"Oh… good point, but don't delay too long or you'll never get the nerve to tell them." Weiss jabbed a finger into her chest. "I know how much you procrastinate."
"Hey! I've gotten better." Jaune raised his hands up defensively.
The icy heiress didn't appear convinced. With an amused shake of her head, she patted the blond knight's chest and stepped back. A rumble was felt at her waist. With a quirked brow, she reached for her Scroll and turned away from him to look up the newest message on her screen.
Weiss had to leave shortly after that, as Ruby was wondering where she was because they had some team things planned. Jaune waved goodbye to her and decided to head back to his dorm room. Pyrrha wanted to get some extra training in today so he figured they could start sooner and free up the evening. He was quickly distracted though, by a couple of attractive girls.
One who stopped and smiled at him.
"Hello, Jaune." Cinder greeted him with a wave. Beside her was her teammate, Emerald, joining her on her stroll through Beacon's halls. Being that Jaune was not Cinder, the dark-skinned sickle wielder merely gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Hey, Cinder." Jaune waved back. "How's your day going?"
"Not bad, just finished some homework that's due next week." Cinder answered. "It's important to avoid procrastinating on important tasks, wouldn't you agree?"
"Er… yeah." Jaune replied sheepishly, Weiss' early words swimming to the forefront of his mind. "I couldn't agree with you more." The way Cinder's eyes shined in a more predatory way indicated she knew he was lying and was just humoring him. That woman was sharp.
"Cinder?" Emerald tugged on her sleeve. "We need to get going and make sure Mint hasn't done anything."
"Right…" Cinder glanced back at her green-haired teammate. "You go ahead and check on her. I want to talk to Jaune for a little bit."
"You do?" Emerald gasped and Jaune felt a twinge of irritation. Everyone knew Emerald was crushing on Cinder, but from what Ruby told him about her, she was really nice to them. Maybe she considered Jaune a threat, which was preposterous. Cinder could do so much better than him. Though they did go on one date already.
Sort of. Kinda. Technically speaking, you would define that as a date; right?
"Emerald, be nice." Cinder warned, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Jaune is a friend of mine and a fellow team leader."
"Oh, of course." Emerald gritted her teeth and then turned to Jaune. "I'm sorry."
"It's no problem!" Jaune felt weird accepting an apology for a reflexive reaction. "Seriously, I get it! Cinder's lucky to have someone care about her so much." Cinder rolled her eyes when he wasn't looking at her. Emerald, on the other hand, appeared slightly pacified. Her face was practically beaming.
"Okay… I'll go off ahead." Emerald was still watching him, but more with suspicion rather than irritation. Eventually, she rounded a corner and disappeared.
"Sorry about her," Cinder spoke up. "She's very clingy sometimes and there have been… rather rude individuals who attempt to approach me. Her apprehension is not without warrant, if not, at times, annoying."
"Hope I'm not one of them." Jaune tried to joke with a forced laugh. The woman's lips curled slightly.
"Not as far as I can tell, but that may be because I find you endearing." Cinder mused, her arms crossed. "I rather enjoyed our last outing together."
"I did too." Jaune agreed, with a short nod.
An outing was an old fashioned way of saying date, right?!
"Remember when we talked about possibly doing some inter-team practice?" Cinder asked.
"Oh, right!" The boy had forgotten about that conversation. "I need to talk with my team about when we're free, but I don't see them having any complaints. I'm sure Nora would love facing Mercury." His excitable ginger teammate talked about getting a chance to fight him because he looked tough.
Which was worrying for poor Mercury. The guy had a nice face…for now.
"Let me know when you all are free then." Cinder smiled. "Our schedule is pretty flexible. Being outside Mistral allows us a lot of free time outside of classes."
"Great, it's a date!" Jaune grinned. "I'll call you tonight once I talk with them."
"Okay, I look forward to it." Cinder stood there, looking at him as if she expected something.
"I'll see you around then!" Jaune waved simply, turning around to leave. Just as he did, he couldn't help but notice an expression of slight disappointment on Cinder's face. He couldn't explain why it irked him.
Jaune had taken a few steps when that odd irking feeling compelled him to do something. Feeling it rise in him, the boy felt like he had to do something. It was crazy, reckless, and bold, so unlike him, but his body was reacting before his brain fully considered what he was about to. Spinning around on one foot, he called out to Cinder just as she was about to leave too.
"Do you want to go out with me?!"
He blurted it out. Suddenly and without warning. Like a bubble escaping from the depths of his being.
THAT certainly caused Cinder's footsteps to falter as she turned around.
"What did you say?"
Amber eyes narrowed oddly, a new expression Jaune wasn't sure he had ever caught her with. As if she had just heard something ludicrous but not unpleasant. Simply surprising and not what she would expect to catch. It was an oddly attractive look.
"I said… er…" Jaune gulped as his brain finally caught up to his instincts. "Do you… want to go out with me? Like maybe see a movie this weekend? Tomorrow's Saturday but we can do it next week if you're busy…"
Palpable silence engulfed them. Jaune felt himself sweat and could even hear his heartbeat pounding in his heart. Thank the Brother's no one was around. He was pretty sure they would be either laughing at him behind his back or giving him looks of pity as Cinder merely stared at him. As if she was sizing him up.
He wasn't sure how long it had taken her to answer, but after a few moments, her lips moved. A light curl could be found.
"Hmm… alright."
"Sorry, forget I asked-... wait! What did you say?!"
"I said: alright." Cinder smirked at him. "You seemed to think I would have refused. You didn't even hesitate to accept defeat right away, did you?"
"It was a spur of the moment thing and… well… I'm me and cool beautiful women don't really go for me." Jaune blabbered on, wanting to hit himself for saying that.
"You sell yourself short, Jaune." Cinder stepped forward until she was close, extremely close, looking up at him. Those intense amber eyes seemed to dance with an appealing heat, amused as they looked into the nervous blue pools reflected back at her. "I happen to like tall, blonde boys."
Jaune's mouth went dry and the next few words came out a little raspier than he wanted.
"So is a movie okay tomorrow evening?"
"I'm fine with that, so long as we get some dinner afterwards, and talk." Cinder patted his cheek lightly with her hand. "Movies are nice, but it's hardly an environment to get to know one another."
"Sure, any particular place you want to go?" Jaune couldn't believe his luck. Whatever Cinder wanted, he would get it for her.
"You pick, since you know the area better than me." Cinder hadn't stopped smiling. "I trust your judgment."
"I will!" Jaune nodded excitedly. "You won't be disappointed."
"I know I won't." Cinder waved to him before leaving on her own terms. Jaune stared after her, admiring her shapely backside that seemed to sway back and forth. His ears were burning up as what he just did weighed down on him. Not wanting to say anything stupid, well mostly not wanting to add to the stupid things he's already said, he also turned around and left.
It was a mistake not to watch Cinder a little longer though.
The woman's grin had taken on a more sinister form. Those amber eyes had gained a rather wicked shadow with their amusement.
Little did Jaune know that he was falling hook, line, and sinker to the woman's plans.
The boy was stumbling along in the hallways, not really paying attention to what he was doing or where he was going. His mind raced through thousands of thoughts a second. Trying to process what he did and how Cinder responded. Did she really like him? Had she been waiting for him to make a move this whole time? The way that woman was described by others, it seemed more like she would ask him. A strong, outgoing woman wouldn't submit to outdated customs like having the man ask her.
Was he dreaming? Actually, when he stopped to think about it, when was the last time he actually dreamed?
"Ouch!"
A painful cry shocked Jaune out of his stupor and he looked around for the source of the noise. Turning a corner, he saw Velvet sitting on the floor, several books and papers sprawled out around her on the floor. Standing over her was someone else Jaune knew just as well. At first, it looked like they might have crashed into each other with Velvet carrying a stack of books. But, due to Jaune recognizing the boy, he also understood this probably wasn't an accident.
Cardin was a bully and more likely than not knocked into Velvet on purpose.
The words coming out of Cardin's mouth only confirmed Jaune's suspicion.
"Watch where you're going, freak!"
"Sorry," Velvet muttered carefully, quickly pushing her papers together.
"You would think with those large ears, you would have heard a human walking by and gotten out of the way." Cardin sneered, pushing his luck.
The first outburst could have been just out of shock and anger, but Jaune knew the bulky mace wielder had done it on purpose. The mocking tone was a dead giveaway.
Making a fist, Jaune marched forward.
"Oi! Cardin! Knock it off!"
Cardin and Velvet turned in surprise at his sudden interruption.
"Jauney Boy..." Cardin huffed in displeasure. "Whatever, I'm not going to waste my time with a freak and wimp."
Scoffing, the boy stomped off, leaving Velvet to clean up the mess he made. Cardin stopped bullying Jaune after the Forever Fall incident where Jaune saved him from an Ursa, but he didn't stop being a dick to others. Just because he wasn't ruining his life, didn't mean Jaune would ignore when Cardin was targeting others.
"Are you okay?" Jaune asked, kneeling down and helping Velvet pick up her books and papers.
"I'm fine, thank you." Velvet smiled at him. They locked eyes for a moment and then her cheeks blushed as a certain dream flashed through her mind. She looked away and started moving quickly to collect her stuff. Once she had everything she stood up and thanked him once more. "Thank you again, but I have to get going. Doctor Oobleck needs these."
"Sure, don't let me keep you, and sorry about Cardin," Jaune waved. "He's a dick."
Velvet giggled and Jaune was glad he was able to make her feel better. At first, his strides were full of confidence until he remembered what he had been thinking about previously. Slowly those footsteps dulled and the boy was back to contemplating everything that happened. Cinder agreeing to go out with him was a lot weirder than Cardin being a terrible person. There was a good reason Velvet dreamt of him being a villain.
"Hey, Fearless Leader!" Nora greeted the moment Jaune returned to his room. "Huh, why are you grinning? Did something good happen?"
"I am?" Jaune touched his face automatically. Had he been grinning this entire time? Wow, he hadn't even noticed.
"It's quite noticeable." Ren stepped in from the bathroom, wiping a glass clean.
"Oh…"
Jaune slapped his cheeks with both hands. Huh, now that they mentioned it, his face did feel rather warm. Guess he was still thinking about his date.
"I mean, I did, kinda, sort of… asked Cinder out. And she said yes."
CRASH!
The three of them jumped as a cup of pens and pencils fell off Pyrrha's desk and smashed against the floor, spilling out all the writing utensils. They turned to see Pyrrha, her face ashen, staring at Jaune with bewilderment and a gaping mouth. It took her a second to realize what she did and the color returned to her cheeks, before turning bright red.
"Sorry!" Came the immediate auto-response from the spartan.
"Are you okay?" Jaune asked instantly, taking a step to help his partner.
"I-I'm f-fine!" Pyrrha stammered, quickly getting down and picking up the pencils that spilled back into her cup. "I just… turned around and accidentally pushed it off!"
That was something Pyrrha would never have done normally. She was usually so good at noticing everything around her due to her tournament combat training. For her to do something so careless was completely out of character for her. After some thought though, it soon made sense. With his Dream Semblance, Jaune saw Pyrrha's true feelings for him. Something he had been oblivious to at the time until he had invaded her dream. So when he came in and announced he was the one who asked out Cinder, it must have been a shock to her.
What else was he to do with the situation with Pyrrha? Sit her down and talk to her? Reveal everything now? That might work, but it would be horribly awkward and part of Jaune felt like it was something Pyrrha needed to bring up, not him. They were her feelings. Her desire.
"But you really asked Cinder out?!" Nora stared at Jaune in shock. "And she said yes?"
"She did…" Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not sure it will work out though, but she's willing to give me a shot."
"That's great!" Nora hugged him and he felt his bones creak from the excitable girl's strength. When she did finally let him go, Jaune noticed her glancing over at Pyrrha with a pitying look. It seemed everyone knew about Pyrrha's crush. They would probably be having some girl time soon.
"I'm sure it will go fine." Ren patted him on his shoulder. "It's good to see you get over Weiss, but I would advise not making the same mistakes you did with her to Cinder."
"Like…?" Jaune listened eagerly for any advice that could help him.
"Just be yourself," Ren explained simply. "Don't try to be someone you're not. Weiss saw through that when you first met and now that she knows the real you, she accepts you as a friend. Building a relationship or falsehoods will never work out in the long run."
"Ugh, wish I knew that long ago." Jaune groaned, slapping himself in the forehead with his palm. "My family always gave me advice to just be confident."
"It's easier to be confident when you're yourself!" Nora laughed.
"Indeed." Ren agreed, smiling at his partner.
"I'll keep that in mind, thanks guys." Jaune gave Ren a friendly fist bump.
"I'm very happy for you, Jaune." Pyrrha's words were strained and her smile was the forced one she used a lot in public appearances, not the one she used normally around Team JNPR. The girl was hurt but couldn't blame Jaune for her pain. It was the consequences of her actions by not confessing.
Even knowing this, Jaune felt kind of slimy the rest of the night.
Laying in bed, still awake after everyone fell asleep, Jaune tried to settle his mind. Since he and Weiss discovered his Semblance's trigger, he was trying not to focus on Pyrrha. The last thing he wanted was to jump into Pyrrha's dream after what happened. It would probably be a nightmare or, worse, Pyrrha's negative emotions making her the bad guy and doing something to Cinder. Even if it was fake, it wasn't something Jaune wanted to see.
The poor boy had to try to focus on other things.
The problem was his mind seemed to hate him and focused on other people. The mysterious prankster who seemed to have stopped pranking him at last. Why, he didn't know, so part of him wanted to and that would probably trigger his Semblance. Then there was Cardin, who was bullying Velvet again for no reason! Velvet was a super sweet girl who helped out other people all the time! Maybe Coco was right about going and beating some sense into that dick. There's no reason to pick on Velvet.
Then, of course, Cinder appeared in his thoughts…
In ways he was glad no one else he knew had a dream or mindreading Semblance…
"AH!"
Jaune didn't remember falling asleep, but the sound of a large metal gate slamming shut in front of him jolted him to his senses. Spinning around, the boy took in his new location. He was standing in what could only be considered a dungeon of some kind. Old, damp, discolored stone walls surrounded him except for the large metal door with bars. Stepping forward, Jaune tried to open the door, but it was locked. Shaking the door didn't do anything except make the metal rattle.
"Of course, it wouldn't be that easy."
Mumbling to himself, Jaune looked around for something to help him out. The room was bare except for a hole in the ground and a pile of straw for a makeshift bed. This prison was not kind to its inhabitants. He was pretty sure it was a barn! Eyeing the hole in the ground once, Jaune decided he didn't want to deal with it. Instead, he headed toward the straw pile and reached under it.
"Sure glad I hit the key under the bed," Jaune stated as if it were fact.
A lie of course, but hopefully the dream worked like the others. It would make sense for someone to hide a key when in a place like this. When his fingers wrapped around a small piece of metal, the boy grinned.
"Got it."
Standing back up, Jaune approached the door and slipped the key inside.
Click.
The lock clicked open and Jaune pushed the door open. It creaked loudly, the high-pitch noise making him flinch. No one likes old rusty doorways like that. Slipping into the hallway, Jaune checked both ways for any sign of life, but the hallway was still. No one else was moving except him. Like most dreams, it was like he was in a simulation on the lowest setting while the dreamer had most of the CPU on them. At least he was about to explore a bit without being interrupted.
His footsteps echoed unusually loudly even though Jaune was stepping lightly. That was one thing he hated about being alone in dreams. Sounds always echoed louder than they should. Yet Jaune had to keep going as there was nothing else to do here. Strangely, or not depending on the dream state, the cells weren't right next to each other like a normal prison. There was quite a bit of distance between them. The next metal door was drawing close and Jaune was prepared to glance inside to hopefully see whose dream this was.
He had no idea this time.
Jaune reached the bar door and glanced inside.
A man was sitting there, looking at the floor. He was also… a Faunus, with large dog ears. The man looked up at him and tilted his head.
"Er… hey," Jaune felt kind of awkward. He didn't have a key to the cell but maybe he could figure out a way to get it. "Can you tell me how to get out of here?" The man stared at him for a moment, before opening his mouth.
"WOOF!"
Jaune stepped back at the loud bark and the man kept at it, getting louder and louder. Realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere, he quickly turned and began to bolt down the hallway in case any guards showed up. Once he was away from the cell, the guy stopped barking and Jaune slowed down. Other cages were drawing near in the near-endless hallway. Knowing he had to pass them anyway, the boy braced himself for what he was about to see and hear.
Yep, more Faunus in cages.
All sorts of people, men, women, boys, girls, along with all sorts of animal traits. Lizards, tails, claws, teeth, there was no difference in the way they were treated. Each of them sounded like the animal their traits belonged to, which infuriated Jaune more than it probably should. Someone was dreaming of Faunus as animals in cages. Barks, growls, clucks, roars all echoed behind me before vanishing the moment he was far enough away. Jaune tried not to think too deeply about what he just saw when he started to pass one more cage and came to a screeching halt.
Ruby looked up at him, her cloak covering her head.
'Do they think Ruby's a Faunus?!'
That was the first thought that passed through the boy's mind. He grabbed the bars instinctively after seeing his best friend. Ruby looked up at him and smiled. Confusion washed over Jaune at the expression because the rest of the Faunus didn't look that happy. What was going on? What could this dream possibly be symbolizing? That's when Ruby opened her mouth.
"I'm a brat, I deserve to be in here."
Jaune stepped back and stared in disbelief.
"Er… what?" His words were weak, as he wasn't sure how to react to this.
"I think I'm all that because I got into Beacon early, so I'm put in my place with the animals." Ruby pointed down the hall where Jaune had come from. "Did you bring cookies for me? I'm a kid with childish tastes after all."
"Nope, sorry." Jaune shook his head. "Just passing through."
Hurrying away, the boy didn't want to see his friend in that condition. Regardless of being a dream, it was just too demeaning. The dreamer obviously thought less of her because of her age, based on what she said. He was beginning to get an idea of whose dream it was and the urge to break his vow of not doing anything to abuse his Semblance was being tested. Jaune gritted his teeth as he walked faster.
"Where are you?" Jaune muttered, hoping the endless hallway would end.
A clang echoed in front of him, like a large metal gate closing. That was the sign Jaune needed and he began to run toward the noise. As he drew near, he began to hear voices. Muffled at first, but then he made out one of them was male and one female. A large metal, mostly solid door stood between him and the two in the room. There was a small gap at the top with a sliding metal plate to let people look through it without opening the actual door. Now that he was close, the voices on the other end were a little more pronounced.
"Ready, master?" Came a sultry female voice. It sounded really familiar, like someone he knew on a phone but the connection was faulty. Jaune was a little nervous about what was happening behind that door. Curiosity got the better of him and the blond peaked through the slot.
"Daaaaaaammmnnnn…."
Teenage hormones reacted instantly when he saw Velvet. Wearing a black Vinyl waist corset, a black leather romper, long vinyl gloves that went past her elbows, leg garters, and black boots with high heels, the bunny girl was dressed far differently than she ever would dare in real life. No trace of her shyness was evident as she picked up a whip and snapped it over her head. A black mask covered her face and her eyes twinkled in amusement.
"Once I start, I won't stop until I hear the safe word." Velvet purred.
"Just do what you're told."
Jaune's eyes instantly flickered to the otherside of the room and then he wished he hadn't. No amount of bleach, soap, or water would ever wash out what he just witnessed. Scrambling backwards, Jaune slammed into the hallway stone wall and let out a yell. The next moment, Jaune had awoken in his bed, sweat dripping down his body. He managed to avoid shouting in the real world, which would wake up his team and probably upset Nora. Slamming a hand over his mouth to stop himself just in case and hold back the rising nausea in his stomach, Jaune stumbled to the bathroom.
Once inside, he knelt before the toilet and emptied his stomach.
"Ugh…" Jaune leaned back against the bathroom wall, groaning in pain while rubbing his head. He had seen so many awful things in people's dreams, but what he just witnessed took the cake.
Cardin Winchester… It had to be him… was naked and tied to the wall with melted candle wax on his body. Along with whip marks and some clamps on his chest. For some reason, he was enjoying himself being dominated by Velvet. Did Cardin have some secret desire he was fulfilling? Was he only bullying Velvet because he liked her? If that was the case… Cardin had the mentality of a 5 year- old… with knowledge of sex.
Aaaaaaaaand, here came more acidic bile emptying into the toilet bowl.
Jaune was considering drowning himself in the toilet to put an end to his misery.
"Jaune… are you okay?" A light knock on the door followed the question and Jaune turned around to see his partner.
"I'm fine… er… I guess I ate something bad." Jaune assured her through pants. "I think it passed. I'll be going back to bed soon. Sorry for waking you."
"Oh… okay," Pyrrha smiled at him. Her hair was down and she looked tired, but was still worried about him. "If you need anything, let me know."
"Okay, thanks Pyrrha." Jaune smiled back as he pushed himself up off the floor. He felt a twinge of guilt as she left, knowing that while Pyrrha was a kind girl who would help anyone in trouble, she especially went out of her way for him due to her crush. Jaune knew she could do better, but part of him wished there was a way they could talk about it without him bringing it up.
As he dragged himself back to bed, he understood how hard it was for Pyrrha too.
Then of course, Jaune had to calm his mind a bit before letting himself fall asleep. Since he was thinking of Pyrrha, he might slip into her dream once he settled down. Jaune really didn't want to invade his friend's privacy any more than he already had. It was always tempting to watch and delve into dreams when you were already in one. Turning over and realizing it was hard not to think of someone, the boy's thoughts turned to those strange girls who pranked him.
'Well, she might not be pranking me anymore, but that explosion hurt…'
Maybe finding out who she was would cast light on why she was pranking him in the first place.
Darkness engulfed him after some time. And the now slumbering knight found his mind being yanked away to a world beyond this one.
"Did it work?"
Jaune blinked and looked around as he found himself in a dream. No matter how much he tried to remember, it was impossible to figure out when exactly he fell asleep. He just sort of woke up in a dream. Immediately, he found his body completely submerged in…water?
"And I'm underwater…" Good thing it was a dream and breathing wasn't an issue.
On the plus side, the view was great.
He was near a multi-colored coral reef that stretched out as far as the eye could see. A rainbow assortment of plants, animals, and weird rock formations were seen all around him. Fish he had never seen before in bright vibrant colors were swimming around him without a care in the world. The plants waved gently in the current as the warm sun shone high above the water. It was a peaceful and tranquil sight as Jaune floated there. A large blue fish tail flickering below him…
Wait, a fish tail?
Looking down, Jaune realized his bottom half was no longer human. Starting at around his midriff, his skin merged seamlessly into a scaly tail. Taking a minute to try it out, he practiced flicking his new aquatic body, making sure he could move the way he wanted.
"I'm a mermaid… MAN, MAN!" Jaune quickly changed course. "MerMAN!"
His hands crossed his bare chest immediately, like he was afraid the dream would make the slip of the tongue true. When nothing happened, like some weird clamshell brassier appearing, the boy relaxed and slowly drifted around the reef, looking for the dreamer. He hoped it was the prankster. Like last time, this was an adventurer dream to see sights most people never got a chance to witness.
"Now let's see if I can find her." Jaune didn't see any signs that indicated which direction he should go. Logically, they would be by the reef since the dream was oceanic themed. Kicking… flicking… splashing? Whatever he did with that tail of his. "WEEEEEEEEE!"
Something must have been done right as he propelled through the water like a torpedo.
Jaune was okay with forgiving the prankster for everything just because of this.
Movement in the distance caught his eye. Glad to finally have found some kind of clue where to go, Jaune pushed off with his tail and blew through the water toward the commotion. Something big was happening as a large dark shadow was floating away from the reef and into open waters. Oceans had a scary thing where the coast just drops off rather than continually slowly descending deeper in the water. Jaune had never been scuba diving himself, but he had seen pictures online. That would be pretty scary to see for the first time.
Not as scary as the giant squid that seemed to have risen from the depths.
Cool, a Kraken!
What, Jaune was a bit of a nerd.
Two small mermaids were swimming around the behemoth of the depths, using spears to stab and pierce the monster. It was hard to tell who was winning though. The spears were kind of small and wouldn't do much damage, but they did cause some blood to leak into the water. Jaune was a little surprised by how real the blood seemed. The dreamer must have had experience with it of some kind. As the boy drew closer, one mermaid had a sparkly pink tail, long pink hair, and a white and pink seashell bra. The other mermaid had long brown hair, a darker green tail, and a plain white seashell bra.
Yep, it was those two sisters again.
However, the brown one, the nicer one, tried to dodge a tentacle but was too slow. The great limb wrapped around her, pulling her to the gaping maw of the Kraken. Her sister tried to help, but could only hold back the tentacle from reaching the razor-sharp teeth. Two on one and the girls were just holding their own. If one fell, they would lose. Or the dream would end. One or the other. Jaune however had a bit of fondness for the brown-haired girl he saved once. He didn't want her to suffer.
"I need a weapon to help." Jaune muttered, looking along the reef for a stick or a spear. "Come on, give me something to help."
Something shiny caught the sunlight and reflected in his face.
Bolting toward it, he saw a wooden cane sticking out of some plants. Frowning, Jaune grabbed the wooden stick with a curved end and yanked it out. It was exactly as it seemed to be. Wooden, sturdy, and not at all helpful versus a kraken.
"Seriously?" Jaune moaned. "A cane? Not a sword, spear, underwater ballista? Anything?"
The kraken's screams of agony was the only answer to his question as the pink girl stabbed the beast in one of its eyes, causing it to release its hold on the brown- haired girl. Quickly, she swam away and held up her spear defensively. But she didn't notice one of the larger tentacles swinging wildly from her side. From Jaune's position, he saw what was going to happen. Eyes widening, he once again was lost in the moment.
"LOOK OUT!"
Driven by instinct, Jaune pushed his tail and flew through the water at what felt like supersonic speed. He really shouldn't be so desperate when something like this happens, but at the moment, everything felt so real, no matter how much he knew it wasn't real. Maybe it was part of the dream weighing down on him. Or most likely, it was just part of who he was. Someone who wants to help others. Reaching his free hand out, the girl just began to notice him, her brown eyes widening as his arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her with him seconds before the large tentacle capable of crushing ships swiped the space he was just in.
"You okay?" Jaune panted, as they pulled away.
The brown-haired girl nodded and pointed to her pink-haired friend. The other girl seemed equally shocked he was here, but didn't have time to dwell on it, as she was still fighting the kraken.
"I want to help." Jaune admitted. "But all I found was this." He held up the cane.
The girl's eyes flickered to it and she seemed even more surprised than seeing him. Grinning, she pointed at it and then at the giant squid. Jaune didn't know what that meant. No words were spoken by her, only gestures as she pointed to the cane and then the monster over and over. Eventually, she got tired of Jaune's denseness and helped prop up the cane, with the bottom pointing toward the kraken. The girl touched a button on the side of the handle Jaune hadn't noticed and the bottom cap flipped up.
"OH! It's a gun-cane!"
Eyes were rolled as he stated the obvious. Once the cane was aimed at the face of the beast, the brown haired girl whistled at her sister… friend… the pink girl, who glanced over and nodded. The next moment, she was swimming away from the kraken, which tried to grab her and failed. Jaune then held the cane steady as the brown-haired girl pulled the trigger.
BOOM!
A red ball of light flew out and seemed to vaporize the water it touched. Flying through the ocean and leaving behind scalding bubbles, the ball of heat collided with the kraken. Jaune expected it to explode or something, causing the beast to flee. What he didn't expect was for it to just burn away the entire head of the monster, cauterizing it so fast no blood was able to escape into the water around it. Jaune just stared at the cane and then looked at the girl he was still holding in one arm.
"Can I keep this?"
The girl giggled but didn't say no.
A moment later, Jaune found themselves on the shoreline with a large bonfire cooking a tentacle of the giant squid. The pink girl was cutting off large cylindrical pieces with a chainsaw, and kept glaring at Jaune as he sat on a chair next to the brown-haired girl. A fancy set of wooden furniture was set up on the beach as they ate. At first, Jaune was worried what the kraken would taste like, but when he tried it at the brown-haired girl's insistence, found it to be quite tasty.
Maybe he could use this as a diet thing for people? Wake them up in dreams with tasty food so they can enjoy themselves without calories?
He could make A LOT of money.
"I never did get your name." Jaune told the brown haired girl. She tilted her head and looked surprised. "Really, not since our last adventure in the underground temple."
Thinking about it, he was fine with saying this as the girl would believe she dreamed this and remembered the previous dream. Plus if he had a name, maybe he could figure out who this girl was.
Trivia.
The girl didn't say it. Instead, the light musical melody seemed to have traveled on the wind into his ear. A chime-like voice that felt like it hadn't been used as much as it should.
"That's a pretty name, Trivia." Jaune complimented her with a kind look on his face. "Name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."
Trivia snorted and covered her mouth as the pink-haired gagged and flipped him off. Jaune only smiled back at her. He had an idea how to handle her now. Plus, it was a dream and even if she did kill him, he would be fine.
"It's rude to flip people off." Jaune warned her sternly. "Don't make me punish you again."
He held up his hand, flat and stern to the now wide-eyed pink girl. The gesture alone was enough.
The pink girl's hands went to her butt as her face went red. Turning around, she fidgeted with something Jaune couldn't see. The next moment, she spun back around, holding the large chainsaw up like a horror movie star. Pulling the string, the weapon roared back to life and she began to approach him. That did worry Jaune a bit, wondering if he could do something to stop her. However, that turned out to be a moot point. Trivia saw what the pink girl was doing and shook her head. The girl with the chainsaw paused and gestured back. Trivia returned her own gestures with her arms and it devolved into a completely silent argument.
Which confused Jaune.
Trivia seemed to be the dreamer. Out of both of them, she was involved in most of the accidents and danger. The pink haired girl was more aggressive but protective of Trivia. Whoever the other girl was must have been important to the dreamer. It didn't answer Jaune's main question as to why this person was pranking him. He never met these two before in his life. Either of them. It didn't make any sense. Could he just come out and ask why they did it or would that cause problems in the dream?
Finally, the silent argument ended and the pink haired girl turned off the chainsaw before turning around and smashing it on a rock repeatedly, as if blowing off steam. Trivia turned around and smiled at Jaune, before patting his arm.
"Thank you?" The boy replied confused. "Umm, sorry if I caused any problems." Trivia waved her hand dismissively. "So who is your friend? Sister?"
Once more the wind picked up and he heard the light musical melody carry the word.
Neo.
"She seems really protective of you." Jaune commented.
At this Trivia crossed her arms and glanced at Neo, who finally noticed them talking about her. She placed her hands behind her back and whistled innocently. Trivia then gestured to her and she shook her head in response. Once more, they devolved into a silent argument. Jaune suddenly felt kind of bad. They always got along great, and then when he showed up stuff happened to them. Was he causing a problem between the two? Even if Neo was imaginary, it didn't sit right with him if Trivia kept dreaming of her in a negative light. Jaune still wasn't sure if his adventures affected people once they awoke.
He knew what he had to do.
"Wait!" Jaune stepped forward, his nerves steeled, and both girls turned to look at him. "There's no reason for you two to fight, right?"
They continued to stare at him, as if trying to figure out what his game was. In reality, Jaune didn't have much of a game plan figured out. He roughly knew what he wanted to say and just hoped he could present it in a somewhat comprehensible way.
"You two are friends," Jaune continued, looking between them. "I've seen you two conquer challenge after challenge. Making your way through traps and monsters in the temple, and now fighting a kraken with just spears. You two are amazing."
Trivia beamed at him and Neo puffed out her chest arrogantly. They really were thick as thieves together. The bond they shared seemed so real despite one being a mere figment of the other's imagination. Which was why he couldn't stand being the reason said bond, real or not, was being strained.
Maybe it wouldn't matter. Outside of this inner world of fantasy and whimsy, this little action most likely wouldn't have any real effect for the dreamer. Perhaps he had no reason to even speak up.
One of those girls treated the other as real. Dream be damned, he wouldn't just invade the girl's dream and cause strife to her psyche. If he was going to take this invasive ability seriously and even go through with revealing its possibilities to his friends then he needed to respect the dreamer's world and fantasy with the same realism as they did when they were asleep.
"But it's because you two worked together. Arguing like how you just were seems so unlike you." The girls looked at each other. "It's obvious you two care about each other. When you got into trouble, Trivia, Neo panicked and wanted to help. Neo, whenever Trivia wants some guidance, she seems to turn to you."
Neo blinked and stared at Trivia, who shuffled nervously.
"I can't say I know you two, this is just what I've seen." Jaune held up his hands. "But it's rare for two people to be so close. It's something you should treasure a lot. I know Trivia would be in good hands when I'm not around with Neo here, and I know Trivia can rein in Neo's… energetic personality."
Out of both of them, the boy figured he must have pissed Neo off somehow. Once he found out how, he could apologize. Wait? Could the time he spanked Neo been Neo's dream? No, it couldn't have. Trivia seemed like the main contender, but Neo was oddly self-sufficient. Was Trivia an active dreamer?
Brown or Pink. Two flavors seemed to be at odds with another yet seemed to stick to another like it was only natural. Actually, it kinda reminded him of neapolitan ice cream in that regard. Like chocolate complimenting strawberry to create a unique flavor. With a dash of vanilla found somewhere down the middle.
His thoughts and worries were pushed away when Neo and Trivia started to hug each other. Jaune was glad to have fixed the issue he accidentally caused and turned to leave. Since he wasn't needed, he figured he could try to find a way to leave a dream on his own without dying. However, he had barely taken a step when hands grabbed both of his arms, pulling him back.
Jaune stopped and turned around, to see both girls grabbing an arm each.
"Huh?" Jaune was confused about what they wanted. Trivia frowned at him and pulled him harder. "You want me to stay?" She and Neo both nodded really fast. "I guess I don't have anything else to do. What did you have in mind?"
Neo's smile stretched across her face in a mischievous grin and leaned over to Trivia. It was like she was whispering in her ear, but no sound came out. Trivia's eyes went wide, her face went cherry red, and she looked at the ground, but then agreed with a quick jerk of her head. Jaune had no idea what Neo was asking her to do, but a familiar twisting feeling in his stomach told him it wasn't good.
Yet he couldn't say no to two cute girls. It was a weakness of his.
The next moment, they were inside a building and Jaune suddenly knew why he had been worried. The room was high in the sky, based on their view from outside the window. The walls were red with a soft pink carpet covering the floor. In the middle of the room was a large red and white heart-shaped bed with multiple tacky heart-shaped pillows. Blinking, Jaune slowly turned to the two girls, who were giggling.
First the strip club last time, and now this? Please, let there not be any knives digging into his gut this time.
Seems girls were just as perverted as guys.
As Neo and Trivia tugged at his arms, a sense of panic ran through him. As much as Jaune was a teenage boy, he had morals and ethics. Of course, he WANTED to join in, and he could rationalize this was a dream with a stranger, but that was it. Neo and Trivia were strangers. Plus it almost felt like he was taking advantage of them as emotions could change the dream quickly. He was nice and complimented them, so it was taken to the extreme with their subconscious. It felt wrong, like he was manipulating them. So even if it was difficult, he pulled his arms from the girls' grasps and backed up.
There was no door, which Neo was quick to point out.
Taking a deep breath, Jaune summoned all of his courage.
"Listen," The boy stated, backing up against the window. "You two are very attractive, but this is moving a little too fast. Don't you think?" Both girls didn't seem to mind and slowly stalked toward him. "And there's one thing you don't know about me."
CRASH!
Jaune jumped through the glass and fell off the side of the building. Looking up, he saw Neo and Trivia staring down at him in shock and disbelief. The blond smiled up at them and gave them a thumbs up. It was going to hurt for just a moment, but maybe he'll wake up before he hits? Hopefully? But he wanted to soothe the girls' worries at least.
"I'm a coward!" Jaune yelled up to them and then spread his arms and legs out as he drew closer and closer to the street down below.
The impact never came.
Instead, Jaune was flailing through a void. Instead of waking up, his actions somehow caused the dreamer to wake up. Trivia must have been frightened by his jump, so much so that she forced herself to wake up. Jaune hoped so at least, because she seemed like a nice girl when Neo didn't corrupt her. As the boy continued to fall, part of him hoped Trivia wouldn't be affected after she woke up. The last thing he needed was for another 'prank.'
"Heh, it's like Neo is her imaginary friend that makes her do bad stuff."
Jaune snickered shortly before he woke up in his bed. Blinking away his dizziness, he turned over to look at the clock and grimaced. It was only 3:03am. Groaning, he turned back over and tried to get some more sleep. Too tired to control himself, his mind recalled someone he met earlier that day as he drifted off to sleep.
Unlike before, sleep came quickly and his semblance went right to work the second his eyes wouldn't crack open.
"I think this is a record." Jaune muttered as he stretched out the collar of the fancy tux he was wearing. "Three dreams in one night?"
He was standing outside a pair of double doors where some kind of party was going on. Lights and music were blaring behind it. To his right and left were rows of lockers and some posters of an animal. Jaune had been to a normal school before coming to Beacon, so he recognized this place. It wasn't his school, but it could have been any generic non-huntsman training school. Since he was dressed up nicely, Jaune figured he was either a chaperone or a student.
"Please be a student, I don't want to babysit." The boy muttered as he pushed the door open.
Music washed over him and he suddenly felt very awkward standing there. The kids around him were all younger, maybe middle school age? So he wasn't a student but a teacher or an adult chaperone. It probably didn't matter, but the first thing he needed to do was find the dreamer. That was going to be tough as the gym was packed with kids dancing. Girls were wearing fancy dresses and the boys were dressed in similar tuxes as himself. Many of them were on the dance floor, but a good number were standing near the walls or sitting at tables drinking and talking. All and all, a typical dance.
So who was the dreamer?
Jaune stepped through the crowd of kids, towering over them. None of them seemed to mind and a few kids high- fived him as he passed. Maybe he was the cool teacher? The dreamer must like him. That narrowed things down a bit. It couldn't be Yang, as she would want a high school party with booze. Ruby was a likely choice, though she hated dances and social situations. If it was her, then she would be hiding along the walls, away from the dance floor. Jaune began to scan around the edges of the gym.
There!
In the corner was a girl with a plain gray dress leaning against the wall, her arms crossed over her chest, as she stared at the floor. Jaune began to approach her and noticed something odd. Around the girl was an empty space of like ten feet or so? None of the kids would go anywhere near her. Was that unusual in a dream with socially awkward people? Jaune figured he could talk to Ruby and get her out of her shell and make the dream more fun. That was until he got a good look at the girl.
It wasn't Ruby.
The short black hair Jaune thought she had was really just tied in a bun at the back of her head. Since she was looking down, her eyes were hidden at first. They were amber instead of silver and Jaune only found out when he got close. The girl had looked up when he drew near and he finally recognized her.
"Cinder…?"
"What do you want?" Cinder's voice was slightly younger, but still sounded like her. "Here to make fun of me?"
"Fun of you?" Jaune repeated in surprise, as he processed her words. "Who would dare do that to you?"
"Ask those losers." Cinder gestured to the other kids.
"That's not nice,"
Jaune figured Cinder mellowed out more as she aged. This was probably her recalling something in her past. If this happened after that night with that one guy Jaune saw in her last dream, it was no wonder she was a loner. Cinder probably never let anyone close to her heart after that.
"But I understand. Sometimes we just want to be alone and other people think that makes us weird."
"You understand?" Cinder blinked and stared up at him. Shaking her head, her confusion quickly disappeared back to her passive expression. "I suppose that's something." She sighed and shook her head. "I don't want to be with these brats either. I'd rather be off on my own."
"Doing what?" Jaune asked conversationally.
"To get stronger, so no one will ever be able to pick on me again." Cinder huffed, a shadow of a smirk graced her lips.
"I can relate." Jaune chuckled, deciding to lean back against the wall beside her. "I was tired of being weak, being protected by others, being the damsel crying out for help. So, I wanted to be strong too. Turns out though, you can't just want to be strong; dreams are only dreams if you don't put in the work. Working hard is tough, tiring, and makes you really sore, but it's rewarding. You can't take shortcuts. Found that out the hard way."
"If you're a hard worker then why aren't you that strong?' Cinder's words were sharp, but there was a little bit of playful teasing creeping into them.
"Okay, ouch!" Jaune covered his heart with his hand and pretended to stagger back. "Harsh but true. Believe it or not, I've grown a lot since coming to Beacon. At least, I like to think so."
"At least you understand you're weak," Cinder seemed pleased. "Too many weaklings like to pretend they're strong and it ends up costing them their lives when they face true strength. The world isn't kind to them. You need power to do anything."
Those words were similar to what she told him before. Cinder truly believed that, even in her subconscious. It wasn't necessarily untrue, as the Grimm were a threat to everyone. Still, there was more to life than just training and power. She needed to stop and enjoy herself from time to time. Not be a workaholic. Thinking quickly, Jaune came up with an idea and held out a hand.
"Would you do me the honor of a dance?"
Cinder stared at him, her eyes widening in shock. Jaune kept up the smile, pleased at himself. Instead of just asking her to dance, he gave her full control, even with him initiating things. Cinder had accepted him asking her out once, so hopefully she'll do it again. The girl stared at him a little longer, before slowly putting her hand in his.
"Since you begged, I suppose I can grace you with a dance." Cinder was sounding more and more like herself; smug, arrogant, and in full control of the situation.
"You honor me, my lady."
Jaune led Cinder to the dance floor as the world around them changed. The middle school gym was shifting from a simple middle school dance hall decorated with streamers and banners, to something Weiss would be accustomed to. A huge hall decorated with gold and silver, marble pillars, and adults dancing to a live orchestra. All the women wore long, eloquent dresses in all colors, with their hair and makeup expertly done. The men all had tuxes that probably cost more than everything Jaune owned put together.
Then his eyes fell back onto Cinder as they reached the center of the dance floor. Gone was the plain gray dress, only to be replaced by a form-fitting red and gold dress with a seductive slit in the side. Her hair grew longer and seemed to shine under the crystal chandeliers high above them. Her eyes seemed sharper, and her lips were now cherry red.
"You're a strange one." Cinder commented as she put her arms around his neck. He responded by putting his arms around her waist as they danced to the orchestra's slow melody. Luckily, Jaune was a pro at dancing thanks to his sisters forcing him to take lessons as a kid. Not that he would tell them it was useful nowadays.
"How so?" Jaune asked, staring down at her. Cinder wasn't short, but he was pretty tall.
"Most people are too afraid to approach me," Cinder mused, looking him directly in the eyes as if trying to read his mind. "Those that are I have no interest in. But you… you're different."
"Is it my charm and good looks?" Jaune asked hopefully, trying to keep the mood light.
Cinder raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, okay… bad joke."
"You have a certain charm, something more than just confidence or being experienced." Cinder sounded thoughtful. "I'm not sure what it is."
"My sisters always said it's because I tend to be honest about my feelings," Jaune muttered, his ears burning. "Sometimes too honest."
Cinder's eyes narrowed slightly but then surprisingly, she nodded.
"Maybe I could sense that. You don't seem to have ulterior motives. I can appreciate that. The games I deal with rely on using others."
"Does it have to?"
"Only if you want to live."
Silence followed those ominous words as they moved around the dance floor.
"Cinder, I'm being serious," Jaune finally spoke up. "If you need help with anything, you can come to me. I won't judge and I'll listen. I'll even keep your secrets."
"There's not much you can do, and it might interfere with my goals," Cinder replied coldly.
"I'm giving you options, but the choice is yours." Jaune assured her, not wanting to get her upset at him. That girl did not like being told what to do. "Instead, you can look forward to the movies with me. Any one in particular you want to see?"
"As long as it's not a sappy romance, I hate that garbage." Cinder chuckled. "Drama and suspense are more entertaining."
"What if it's both?" Jaune vaguely recalled a romance drama playing. Now he had an idea she would like!
"I suppose that would be okay, if you don't mind me teasing you a bit, my young puppy."
Jaune shivered as Cinder placed a hand on his cheek.
Feel free to leave a review, comment, suggestions, or ideas, I love reading them. If you have a question you wish to ask and would like a quick answer, feel free to message me directly. I try to respond to those within a day or two. Comments, I tend to respond to in the next chapter.
Dark: Man that Neo is such a bad influence.
Neo: I've done nothing wrong but drink irresponsibly. CHUG, CHUG, CHUG, CHUG!
Dark: I meant the other Neo, but you too.