"Okay..." Josh had to lean over, just a little, before asking. "Why am I here again?"

Melanie gave him a sour flavored 'are you serious' sort of look, whereas Miltia offered up the real answer from ahead - she was standing on his other side, and had leaned over much more just to get into earshot.

"Because the boss wants you with us."

"I get that." Greeting the new hires was more of a standard practice than most realized, for a lot of businesses in fact. He just didn't know why they were stuffed along the back wall away from all the action; hell, even the other henchmen were closer to the main bosses. "I'm just asking why he chose to even include me, and not anyone else. Doesn't he get bundles of newbies, like, daily or something? We can't be the only ones."

"Take a wild guess." Melanie finally said, cutting her sister off before she could present the real answer. A bit harsh, and not really what he wanted to hear, but he found her blunt taunts somewhat refreshing. Spend your life drinking cola and the taste of fresh milk or water becomes a luxury - no, he wasn't that far gone... yet.

"Because... uh..." He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not like other guys?"

"Close enough." Melanie didn't want to keep on with the conversation, he could tell, and so it fell to Miltia to provide an actual answer. Luckily for him, her metaphors weren't so far out as the grouchy one - in other words: he could actually understand what was being said.

"Think of it like this." The red sister started, winking and mimic-shuffling an imaginary deck of cards; dealing them in her hands skillfully. "Nobody's willing to show their ace, and nobody's willing to show their joker. But when push comes to shove and you're forced to play, you usually try to hold onto at least one."

And like that, he was able to deduce that their boss Junior would rather only reveal one of them; seeing as Jay was fast asleep and they couldn't budge him, that reveal fell onto his shoulders instead. It was still a little weird though, the fact they were even taking the spotlight. What made them so special? In the end he guessed it didn't matter; things were the way that they were. Although, even with these questions in mind, he did have one that could be asked.

"So which am I? The joker, or the ace."

"Well…" Miltia twitched a single finger, flicking up another imaginary card and tossing it his way. "That depends on the game, and what you have to offer."

Either or; sounded good enough to him. Then again, he wasn't all that good at poker, no matter the version. However card games were just that: games. Right now, he highly doubted any of them should be playing the event off as a game; not when the four up front were so serious looking.

You had Junior, of course, but there were also three more... or, supposedly three anyways.

Only one woman was actually present, as the other two were merely pictures on the far ends of the table. Doom and gloom would best describe the atmosphere, with a touch of fanciful terror for good measure. Blackened walls, draped in pictureless frames, who themselves were etched in silver. Most fabrics were a mix of the casual gangster red and purple, with a tad of white embroidery tossed along here and there. Surely these colors had some sort of meaning, but Josh never was one to look too deeply into that aspect.

Intended meaning and actual meaning were two entirely different things; case in point, he himself.

Some said he looked intimidating at first, but Josh wasn't the kind of guy to just up and get into fights at every given chance. He liked to think he was a good boy, just like his elderly relatives liked to prod on and on about. He never picked senseless fights, and always stood by those he cared about to whatever end they would meet. Some would call it a bit overbearing, but he liked to think it was just being kind.

Although, it did get him into trouble sometimes, like right now for that matter.

"Josh." Junior, his new boss while he was here in Remnant, called his name harsher than he'd ever heard before - granted, they never got a chance to really know each other all that well yet. But with their presence at this welcoming of criminal gangs, he figured it paid to at least act tough, and so he too would follow along, walking stiffly forwards and taking a solid standing.

"Sir." He gave, respectfully and curt, receiving a pleased sounding hum from the other living attendee. Junior hummed along, somewhat pleased if Josh were to guess, and spoke without anything more than acceptance in his tone.

"This is our newest member, and one who shows solid promise: Josh Kenny."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Kenny. You have such a… unique name about you: both strong, and exotic." Somehow, he didn't feel it was all that genuine. A short couple seconds of silence were enough for him to know it was his turn to talk.

"Thank you. The pleasure is mine, miss...?"

"Please." She began, folding her hands over themselves and curling up a single corner of the practiced smile lining her lips. "Call me, Lil'Miss; everyone does."

He gave a polite nod, crossing his right arm over and covering his heart as he gave a short bow.

"Then the pleasure is mine, Lil'Miss."

He'd succeeded in coaxing another pleasant hum, and her words came out like the slick spread of warm butter.

"Such manners. You're a refreshing change of pace from the usual children I'm introduced to." Accepting her courtesy, Josh allowed himself to straighten once more, just in time to see a small spark in her eyes. "I'm glad to know my daughters have such respectful company."

Ah yes, her daughters: the twins who'd only filled him in during their trip.

Honestly, he didn't blame them for never mentioning anything before, and the fact they even filled him in at all was a risky call to begin with; he had an inkling the random-esque bout of kindness was partially due to his association with Jay - because he'd certainly hadn't known them long enough to obtain that kind of substantial trust. Still, he suspected it wasn't much of a choice on their part either; the little show to come during this 'Vytal Festival' thing must have forced their hand.

Even if it was due to the suddenness of his entrance, they'd been willing to gamble on him for this event at least, and that was reason enough not to let them down. Whatever it was his actions and presence would create from here on, he'd do his best to keep up with everything.

With this in mind Josh stepped back, assuming his time was up once Lil'Miss set her eyes on Junior again. Nobody said anything, so his guess must have been right. Getting back with the duo, Miltia gave him a soft bump in the arm with her own.

"Nice going, Mr. Gentleman."

Melanie, in contrast, let out a little "meh" before commenting.

"At least you didn't screw up."

"So, does this mean we're in the clear?" He whispered, with Miltia looking over at her sister, who took it as a sign to answer him herself.

"For the most part." Her voice lacked its usual anger, but it still didn't sound all that happy. "Word spread fast of your inclusions into our fold, which is why Junior wanted to show you off." Her eyes burrowed into his. "It's not good to hide new talent from your friends, and so the boss is doing his dues and presenting the promising newbies to his companions."

She was kind of letting on how dumb she thought he was with all her accentuations; which begged him to question what their usual crew members were like. Either way, he got the gist: no secrets allowed between the groups, and so he was exposed to them. But that was it: he was exposed, as in, just him.

Josh assumed this was just temporary and that Jay would have his showing later. Being sick on presentation day sure didn't look good on him, but maybe that was a blessing for Junior as it allowed a viable excuse for keeping one of his boys shelved. Then again, they themselves didn't have much to offer Junior in terms of relevant skills for whatever criminal activities they'd be dragged into…

Other than his own seemingly time altering power.

Sadly, he couldn't control that ability. All Josh had figured out so far about that skill was that it only triggered when Jay died. This meant that, for all intents and purposes, his best friend had to be killed for it to even activate. Disregarding the requirement altogether, he was only shoved back a few minutes following each jump, meaning any significant uses to change things were limited to "in the moment" sort of actions. Josh hadn't told anyone about this power yet, and even if he did, what use would it be? All he could do was keep his friend alive, and not much else.

Still, a part of him worried about how everyone around him might react to such a thing.

Seeing as Jay and him were in with the group now anyways, he had a feeling he'd need to let the goose out of the bag eventually, but for now, Josh was perfectly content with ignoring that problem until it slapped him across the ass later down the line.

"Melanie, Miltia." Junior called decently loud, and both girls were front and center.

"Sir." Both spoke in union, leaving Josh behind them and watching with quite a bit of wonder at how perfectly in sync they acted.

"Take Josh and head back home; your presence is no longer required." His voice slid over to one side, as if making a U-turn. "I believe it best we do not leave the club unattended."

"Sir." Melanie's voice cut deeper than before. "Are you sure all three of us should leave?"

"I am." Junior told with a more casual tone. "Despite the new squatters Vale has drawn in, my security here is top notch. Sadly, your presence is unnecessary. Besides-" His speech hardened: stone-cold and sharp as a knife. "You have no place in matters to come. Isn't that right, Lil'Miss."

"Quite." She didn't seem nearly as harsh as Josh thought she would. "As nice as it is to see you both again, Junior and I have some arrangements to talk about. Go on, head back to your haunt and have a bit of fun with that new gentleman of yours."

Junior watched them leave, turning back to Lil'Miss the second they were gone, and just in time to catch her previously unspoken concern.

"I was under the belief there were two spirited young men under your wing."

"There are." He clarified, not really feeling the need to hide that fact. "However, the second of the pair is unfit to show himself right now."

"How so?"

"Let's just say he doesn't take his liquor particularly well." Getting a slight hum from her, Junior carried on. "He's most likely still asleep as we speak, and knowing those three, I'm sure they'll be filling him in on their introduction here."

"I'm assuming we'll be meeting another day?" He gave a curt nod, and she settled into the brute of why she'd chosen to meet with him here. "Then I suppose it's time we get the scheduling underway."

"Very well." Junior sat back, finally getting comfortable. "Got your eyes on any particular bunch?"

"Well." Settling a finger on her cheek, she handed him a sly grin. "I've been hearing a few sparse curiosities about a young upstart team of all girls, who are said to have a knack for getting into trouble with the local White Fang filth. I believe they go by RWBY, no?"

"That they do." He'd heard of them too, and would you know it, they'd already made an impact on his own crew, and that wasn't even counting the blondie who'd trashed his club a while back. Jay had a disturbing similarity to the hair-triggered sister, which was partially why he felt a sudden stab of concern when looking back on it.

If Jay was anything like them when it came to trouble, then Junior knew he'd better brace for things to come - considering what the lad had seen so far in his short time with them, it was pretty much a guarantee trouble sat along the horizon.

Right now though, he challenged Lil'Miss on her call.

"So, how much are you planning on throwing down for them?"

The betting game always was the main focus for things around the Vytal Festival, and if she wanted to throw some cash in on that cup of dice, then he'd have no choice but to hope RWBY's particular toss up didn't cost him too much. After all, it was the host's duty to pay out the winnings, and seeing as the tournament took place in his home kingdom, that meant divvying out whatever was earned...

Or raking in what was lost. With luck, team RWBY might just prove the unfortunate type, and he'd be walking away with a sizable chunk of change.

Now if only the other two players could arrive soon; then he'd be able to start the game in earnest.

"How does 26 thousand sound?"

Junior hummed, nodding and offering a look of agreement.

"Not a bad start." This was quite the lowball for her, as normally she'd be tossing out 30's and 50's - Lil'Miss always did enjoy the thrill of dunking it all in one basket. "Guess I'll settle in at around 10 myself."

Stifling a giggle, she prodded at him.

"What's wrong? Frightened by a little game of chance?"

"No." He eyed her with his own devilish grin. "But I've seen enough of those girls to know they'll end up either pulling off some stupid sort of victory, or bury themselves in a ditch."

"Oh yes~!" She purred, leaning on an arm and licking her lower lip. "I love it when they play like that."

Well... at least she wasn't furious at losing - not yet anyways.

.

.

Coco hadn't expected it to take this long, and the honey-bun that was Velvet just had to point that fact out to her.

"You're jittering again."

As if she didn't already know.

"What's taking her so long?" Coco had to do everything in her power not to shoot a text out to Ruby. Luckily for her, Velvet was the voice of reason in more ways than one, with the most important fact being that the bunny girl just so happened to have an unbiased internal clock; or so it appeared, because Coco never saw Velvet swipe a discrete glance down towards her scroll.

"It's been 15 minutes."

The truth did nothing to help settle Coco's nerves.

"That's 15 minutes wasted."

And thus, Velvet rolled her eyes, staring flatly after.

"Now you're just being dramatic."

To which Coco defended.

"You'd be too if you saw his cute little tooshie." Holding back a tiny squeal, Coco just couldn't help but divulge. "And here I thought Ruby was the only cutie we'd get this year. He's like a second her, but with more of a party-girl flare."

"Yeah." Velvet tossed out a sigh and let her head fall into her arms across the table. "As you like to keep saying, over... and over... and over again."

Coco could have taken a moment to soak in the rarity that was Velvet's sass, but she was too busy wondering what to start with. Jay seemed like the timid type, and she loved contrasting the outer with the inner. Maybe a set of black mesh, and some pasties to go under; he was a boy at the end of the day, so legally, nobody could really call him underdressed...

Probably.

With the jingle of the front door ripping apart her internal - and questionably justifiable - fantasies, Coco was up and out to the front of the shop. This would usually be the part where the local staff would groan and order her back in the breakroom, but they'd mostly give up after the first month or so when they'd inevitably learned she was not a good listener. Such beliefs were false, obviously, but she would admit that she got a touch carried away with her work on occasion.

Besides, she was a personal friend of the owner, and even if said owner was out for the evening, the staff knew how tight-knit they were, and allowed the girl her eccentricities so long as they didn't bother the customers. Paradoxically, and unlike the staff, the customers on average adored her enthusiasm over all things fashion and appearance based, and even took to heart some of her own personal suggestions for dyes and styles.

This earned Coco the nickname of "Heaven's Eye" by those she'd gifted stylistic salvation - quite the name for one who was just a weekend intern.

Or course, while she may have been great with suggestions, she was still far from as good at hair styling as the salon's owner: her good friend Raspberry. Truthfully, Coco was really hoping she would be around today to help fix up the victim to be, but alas, she was busy on pickup. Imported dyes, while expensive, were vastly more colorful than what Vale's mall offered, and Raspberry only ever trusted a few places around town to provide the goods.

Oh well, at least Jay would make her day better; Coco couldn't wait to play with her new toy. And, if there was even the barest chance, she might be able to "convince" Ruby to join in the fun as well. Two little buds, just waiting for her touch and care to help them bloom into the beauties they were always destined to be.

How would the little rose look while draped in her namesake?

Staring at the front door, the beret bearing brunette noted a revolting lack of crimson tipped twins on the floor, and from the corner of her eye the lad manning the check-in desk flipped a page of his magazine and spoke up without even looking.

"One left, no new arrivals." He flipped another page. "Tissues are on the right."

Not having realized she was salivating until it was pointed out to her, Coco spun right around and grabbed the cushiony sheet, cleaning up her mouth and tossing out a puff, followed by a sturdy "I see."

Perhaps requesting - commanding - the staff to keep watch for her expected guests wasn't a very good idea. Really, they had enough work to do on average as is, what with all the clients they usually served. Today seemed to be the lucky day though, as they were dead for most of it, according to Raspberry that was, which was why she left to get her dyes. Velvet already told her she'd been a bit pushy as well a little earlier too, so it might have been a decent idea to take a little rest and just hunker down.

Not that the thought stood all that long, as once more the ding of the front door had her twirling back to try her chances.

Turns out gambling wasn't so bad after all, and unlike 90% of other gamblers, Coco actually struck big when her payout stepped inside, led by a slightly shorter and yet no less adorable copy. To avoid startling the pair, as she so often did after being kept waiting, Coco carefully stepped up to greet them.

Sadly, she forgot to tone down the starving smile, who'd unbeknownst to her, flashed her wickedly crooked intent outwards with little remorse.

Ruby was the only one suitably frightened, freezing up at the sight a few steps ahead. She'd never seen someone stare so… hungrily at her, and right now she felt like a fresh baked cookie. Coco must have caught on to her less than subtle terror, mellowing into a less toothy grin, and placing a friendly sticker over the ravenous bloodlust to hide it. Over appreciation aside, Ruby couldn't ignore the thrill in her friend's voice as she opened up.

"Glad you two could make it." She leaned on one leg, leering while she playfully remarked. "I was worried you might have gotten lost along the way."

And immediately, Ruby was offended. But she breathed in, calming herself. This wasn't a Yang situation, where the accuser in question underestimated her deliberately. From the sheer urgency of Coco's prior greeting, Ruby figured the older student was simply a bit too excited for whatever she had in mind for Jay. Still, despite this, Ruby struggled against the desperate compulsion to clap back - she was better than that.

"I know what I'm doing."

But not by much.

Coco's grin stretched into an easier pull, laxed a little from the strain of before.

"Got 'cha." With a wink, Coco slid back around. "Now come on, we're wasting daylight."

"We've got plenty of time." In came Velvet, who's irritation sat stiff upon her brow. "You are just too jumpy for your own good." She then looked over at them, and her grumpy exterior melted away. "Sorry about her: she doesn't do the whole 'waiting' thing all that well."

Coco huffed, allowing her grin to finally flatten out as things looked to finish settling down. Moving her eyes, Velvet met eyes with Jay, and seeing as they hadn't met yet, Ruby took a step aside to introduce her acquaintance.

"This is Jay." She said, watching Velvet's expression rebuild itself into something friendlier.

"Nice to meet you." She started, setting both hands behind her waist and shooting a tiny nod. "I'm Velvet."

"Jay." The guy repeated, only stumbling a little, appearing to have realized Ruby herself had already told his name. "Just… just in case you hadn't caught it."

With a fairly wide smirk in place, Velvet accepted the excuse, even if it was clear she understood he was just trying to save face, which kind of defeated the purpose of doing so.

"Sure thing." She took a few steps closer, flicking her eyes between the both of them. "Coco wasn't kidding when she said you looked alike." Leaning in a little closer to Jay, she asked, "is it true that you're really a guy?"

"I uh..." He shrugged. "Yeah."

Backing up, Velvet took a breath. "And now it suddenly makes sense why she's so insistent on playing with you. We don't see many with your fashion sense; least of all people who can pull it off."

That got a confused shuffle from Jay. Not so much the lack of other potential cross-dressers, but rather the first bit.

"Play?"

"Hey!" The topic of his future concern called out, and Ruby did not find the volatile smile on her face all that swell. Something about the way the edges of her lips twitched just set off a few alarms in Ruby's head. These internal worries didn't matter to Coco though, and she spoke just as joyfully as one might expect. "Get in here already so we can get started. I've got some special surprises in the back."

Velvet sighed, having lost most of her energy somehow, only to turn and send a sorry face their way.

"Whatever happens next, please try not to hold it against her; she means well, honest."

Ruby had a feeling that might end up being a bit of an understatement.

Author's note

...

Kind of a mellow one this time, but I'm in a bit of a mellow mood, so yeah.

Josh is showing some of his prowess, and that he can, in fact, read the room. Sure, it wasn't all that enlightening, but at the very least Lil'Miss got to pop in for a quick pinch. Betting seems to be the call, and surprisingly, Melanie pulled through the little event with little words towards the scene.

Coco and Velvet get to enjoy some screen time, with the latter making her first in-person appearance. Probably not what you'd expect, but she's surrounded by either friends, or people who don't have too many personal expectations towards her, so our little bunny gal gets to relax for once.

The former of the pair, on the other hand, is absolutely ecstatic with what's to come.

Jay doesn't do much more than show up here.

Okay, that's the basic summary complete. See you all next time.