"Hey Nora?"
"Yes, Jauney?"
"You know how you sometimes call me 'Fearless Leader?'"
"Yep!" The ginger replied, popping the 'p.'
"I'm actually pretty fearful right now!" He exclaimed as he frantically ran from the chain of grenades she launched his way. A series of pink explosions detonated around the knight as he desperately tried to weave through them to get to his opponent, attempting to return fire with White Rose to little avail; his aim thrown off wildly from the nearby shockwaves.
The weekend had come, meaning it was time for Team AWBN's weekly sparring session against Team RRYN. The event had been established in the wake of Jaune's training against Cardin, supplementing the smaller spars between him, Pyrrha, Yang, and Nora so that the entirety of both teams could get some practice in. Not only did the exercise serve to better their respective team dynamics and tactics, it served as an enjoyable bonding experience as well.
That said, Team AWBN had established an early winning streak, having yet been defeated by their sister team, though certainly not for their lack of trying. The main reason for their undefeated status was, of course, due in large part to Pyrrha and her incredible fighting prowess and Semblance. The girl proved dangerous enough to warrant the attention of two members of Team RRYN during every session, leaving the rest of the team to fight 2 vs 3 more often than not.
Currently, Pyrrha was squaring off against Yang and Ruby; the sisterly duo trying their best to keep the Invincible Girl off-kilter with a combined assault: While Yang engaged at close range, Ruby took potshots from a distance, providing fire support where she could. Nora and Ren took up a defensive perimeter around their leader in an attempt to let the girl continue undisturbed.
With Jaune engaging Nora, Ren was forced to defend against the dual onslaught of Blake and Weiss. The Mistrali teen jumped backwards to avoid a hail of ice shards before firing at the heiress with his machine pistols. He only got a few shots off before he had to turn his focus to Blake, blocking her visceral dual-bladed assault with his own bladed weaponry.
Ruby, seeing her partner struggling to ward off his opponents, turned Crescent Rose in his direction, firing and scoring a hit on Blake. The large caliber bullet slammed into the girl's chest, knocking her away and buying the black-haired boy a small bit of reprieve before he was set upon by Weiss. Turning her focus back on the fight between Yang and Pyrrha, she quickly zeroed her sights and fired again, knocking the redhead's weapon off-course and saving her sister from getting stabbed.
Suddenly, Blake's weapon was wrapped around the barrel of her rifle, the ribbon pulling taut and ripping the weapon out of her grasp. Following the line of black, she saw Blake smirking at her as Crescent Rose landed at her feet. Placing her foot on the weapon, Blake tauntingly gestured for Ruby to come get it. Growling, Ruby disappeared in a cloud of petals, zooming towards Blake in an unpredictable fashion.
Weiss, spotting this in her periphery, broke away from Ren and ran over to her teammate. "Blake, to me!"
Nodding, the disguised Faunus kicked the weapon towards Weiss before somersaulting over her and engaging Ren, preventing him from stopping the heiress.
Dust cylinder clicking into place, Weiss stabbed the ground near Ruby's weapon, freezing it in place and encasing it in a thick layer of ice.
"No!" Ruby cried, reappearing too late to recover her weapon. Before she could attempt to free Crescent Rose from its icy prison, she was forced back by a series of thrusts and slashes from Weiss. The younger girl desperately tried to fight back, but without her weapon, she was essentially a lamb to the slaughter.
Things wrapped up quickly after that: Without Ruby providing fire support, Yang couldn't slip any attacks past Pyrrha's nigh impenetrable defense; every failed attack was capitalized on with swift retribution that eventually drained Yang of her Aura. With her opponent dealt with, Pyrrha moved to help Jaune with Nora as Weiss and Blake resumed double-teaming Ren, pressing their numerical advantage and completely overwhelming the remaining members of Team RRYN.
"Another glorious loss for Rubine…" Ren sighed tiredly as he laid flush against the ground. "At least we lasted a bit longer this time."
"You last longer every time we fight." Weiss said, offering the boy a helping hand. "Don't be too hard on yourself."
Blake couldn't help but make an amused sound. "Considering we have Pyrrha, the fact that you lasted this long at all says a lot about your skill." Her eyes turned to Ruby, who was crouching over her frozen weapon with an annoyed expression. "If anything, Ruby's lack of experience fighting without her weapon is your biggest weakness."
Weiss, following her gaze, moved to thaw the ice for the crimsonette.
"It's… definitely something I've encouraged her to work on." Ren admitted quietly. "Yang's been on her case about it before, but she seems more receptive to me."
"Maybe 'cause you don't sound like you're nagging her?" Blake offered.
He shrugged. "Maybe."
"Aww, phooey." Nora grumbled, crossing her arms. "I for sure thought I had you that time, Jauney."
"You almost did." Jaune agreed. "If Pyrrha didn't come in when she did, I definitely would have been knocked out of the ring." He turned his head to face the girl in question. "Thanks, by the way."
"But of course!" She said with a closed-eye smile. When Nora had sent Jaune flying out of the arena, Pyrrha caught him with her Semblance and pulled him back in. It was one of the few times he was glad she could so easily manipulate him with her Polarity.
"One of these days, P-Money, ONE OF THESE DAYS!" Yang exclaimed, eyes red and hair ablaze; the sting of defeat still burning within her.
"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha replied with an apologetic smile.
The blonde brawler kept up her angry face a few moments longer before sighing in defeat. "Ah… Why couldn't you have a punchable face like Ladykiller here? At least I get to wail on him before I lose…"
Her fellow blonde quirked a brow. "You mean the face that's always behind a helmet?"
"That's what makes it so punchable!"
"Yeah!" Nora agreed. "I don't feel as guilty smashing your face in knowing you have proper head protection!"
He returned a conflicted look. "I'm… glad, I guess?"
"You're welcome!" The girls said in unison.
The two teams migrated to the center of the arena, where Weiss was just finishing undoing her frosty handiwork on Crescent Rose. Once the weapon was freed, Ruby scooped it up into her arms and cradled it like a mother would their child. "There, there, mommy's here…"
Weiss shook her head at the younger girl's actions, a muted smile on her lips. "Honestly! I understand the sentimentality of it, but to act like it's a real person is just appalling."
Ruby sent her a sideways glare before whispering to her weapon some more. "Don't listen to the mean ice lady, she's just jealous."
Rolling her eyes, Weiss turned her attention to the rest of them. "Good job today, everyone. Jaune, if you would?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Jaune walked up to everyone and began topping off their Aura. "You know, I'm starting to feel like a human medkit."
"I mean, your Semblance is rather convenient." Pyrrha said.
"It's not like you don't get anything out of this either, mister." Yang added teasingly. "After all, you get to lay your hands on a bunch of cute and sexy girls."
Ren raised a questioning brow.
Nora punched him in the shoulder. "Oh hush, Renny! You're just as pretty as any girl!"
"Sometimes prettier." Blake added amusingly.
"Definitely the prettiest guy I know!" Ruby affirmed with a nod.
Playing along, Ren flipped his hair back in a feminine manner, eliciting a round of laughter from everyone present.
As Jaune made his way around the group, Blake's scroll audibly buzzed. Reading the notification, the girl's golden eyes widened. Once her partner laid his hands on her, she grabbed his wrist and locked gazes with him. "Hey Jaune, I forgot an assignment for Professor Peach. Mind lending me a hand?"
"Oh, um, sure?" Jaune replied confusedly.
Blake turned to the rest of their friends. "Sorry guys. We'll see you later."
As the two of them exited the training room, Blake practically dragging the taller blonde along, Weiss and Pyrrha's eyes locked onto their backs.
"Is something wrong?" Ren asked them, noticing their stares.
"I don't believe so…" Pyrrha trailed off, eyes locking with her partner for a brief moment as they shared a thought.
Their team has always been on top of their assignments, courtesy of Weiss's diligent oversight. If anyone was to forget something for their academia, it would have been Jaune. For Blake to be the slacker of their group was certainly… suspicious.
Had they gained another rival?
{ I }
Blake and Jaune arrived back at their dorm in record time due to the former's hurried pace. As soon as the door closed behind them, Blake began rummaging through her wardrobe.
"Uh, Blake?" Jaune asked, befuddled. "Why are you-"
"Tukson messaged me." She cut him off, not even sparing him a cursory glance. "Find something inconspicuous to change into. We're going out."
"… You mean you don't need help with homework?"
Golden irises rolled. "No, Jaune. I don't."
"Oh thank Oum." He sighed in relief. "I was worried there for a second. All right, give me a moment."
She paused, contemplating to herself for a moment before looking over her shoulder at him. "Are you sure you want to help me with this? I won't blame you if you wanna back out now."
Her partner returned a sincere smile. "Hey, I gave you my word, didn't I? Besides, if you're gonna get yourself in trouble, I wanna be there to make sure you come out of it in one piece."
A quiet, happy breath escaped her as she smiled back at him. "Thanks."
The two of them were ready within a few minutes: Jaune was dressed in a short-sleeved black and orange hooded shirt and jeans, with fingerless orange gloves that ran halfway up his forearms [1]; while Blake wore a long-sleeved, black and white crop top and black pants, topped with her usual bow.
"You look nice." Jaune commented, making sure White Rose was properly attached to his side.
"Thanks." She replied coolly. "All set?"
"Almost." Jaune reached for Crocea Mors.
"Wait." Her hand caught his wrist. "Leave it behind."
The blond looked at the Faunus confusedly, noting that Gambol Shroud was missing from her persons as well. "What? Why?"
"The Arc Family heraldry is too recognizable," she explained. "Unless you have a plain sheathe that you can use, it's better to just bring White Rose."
Jaune hesitated for a moment, but reluctantly did as she asked, knowing she was right. Crocea Mors was simply too distinctive for what they were doing. White Rose, on the other hand, could easily be mistaken for a regular pistol.
As they left their room, he felt as if he was leaving a part of himself behind, already missing the familiar weight on his hip.
They took the next bullhead down to Vale, where Blake spent the ride awkwardly trying to comfort Jaune through his air sickness; a task usually taken by Weiss.
In an attempt to distract himself from the queasiness welling within him, he asked his partner a few questions. "How long have you known Tukson?"
"For half my life at this point." She replied. "He and my dad were drinking buddies, back when I was a little girl."
"That long?" He said, surprised. "What's he doing all the way in Vale?"
A forlorn smile crossed her lips. "Same reason I'm here, I guess. He wanted to continue the fight after dad stepped down. He's become one of the Vale branch's major informants, so he's pretty far up the chain."
She became silent for a moment. "Jaune, I want you to know that Tukson isn't a bad person. He's seen what the White Fang has become and wants out. He hasn't… He's not-"
"Blake." Jaune placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, I understand."
She let out a deep breath. "… Good. That's… Thanks."
"You nervous?" He asked, receiving a nod in return.
"Tukson couldn't be too detailed over the phone. He just gave me a time to meet and we're cutting it close."
Looking out the window, Jaune could see the setting sun, as well as the closing cityscape.
The bullhead finally touched down, causing Jaune to sigh in relief. "Then let's be on our way."
Exiting the bullhead, the duo made a beeline for Tukson's bookstore, arriving just as the sun began to disappear over the horizon. Entering the shop, they were greeted by a welcoming voice.
"Welcome to Tukson's…" The shop owner in question paused once he saw them. "… Ms. Belladonna, welcome back."
"Hi Tukson." Blake flashed a subtle smile. "I understand that my order is ready?"
"Yes, it is!" The older man replied jovially. "Just in time, too! I was just about to close up shop." Walking around the counter, he briefly glanced at Jaune with suspicion before walking around the teens to lock the door behind them and flipping the sign to 'Closed.' He turned back to them, gesturing to the pair of double doors behind the counter. "If you would please follow me to the back…"
Tukson held the doors open for the pair to walk through before entering himself. Once the doors swung closed behind him, the man's entire demeanor changed. Turning to Jaune, he gruffly asked, "Do you have any idea what you've gotten yourself into?"
"I have an inkling, yes." Jaune replied with a polite smile.
"He's good, Tukson." Blake vouched for him. "He's my partner at Beacon. He can handle himself."
Tukson looked at him for a few more moments before sighing tiredly. "I don't know whether to be disappointed you roped someone else into all this, or glad that you'll have someone to watch your back while you're out there."
"Blake didn't want me to help." Jaune clarified in her defense. "I'm here at my own insistence."
"You're here," the older Faunus countered, "because someone couldn't keep their voice down that one day."
Jaune glanced at Blake, whose bow seemed to tilt forward as if to flatten against her head. He stared back at Tukson with a firm gaze. "What difference does it make? Just tell us what's going on already."
The dark-haired man grunted, begrudgingly conceding his point before pulling out his scroll. He pulled up a map of the shopping district with several storefronts clearly marked and projected it for them to see. "The White Fang are targeting several Dust shops around Vale. They're going to hit all of them over the course of the next few weeks, starting tonight."
"Dust shops?" Blake said in surprise. "Why would they rob the stores in a major city like Vale? It would be more efficient to hit the Schnee trains."
Tukson shrugged. "Apparently, Adam needs it for some bigger plan. He wouldn't go into specifics, but he's made it clear that we need every bit of Dust we can scrounge up."
"Is he here!?" Blake started, eyes wide with fear.
The Faunus male shook his head. "Not in Vale City, no. He's overseeing operations in the Frontier, far away from here."
Blake still seemed shaken. Jaune placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, the appendage glowing with the use of his Semblance. The ravenette visibly calmed down after a few seconds, placing a hand over Jaune's with a grateful sigh of relief. "Where are we going first?"
Tukson zoomed in on a shop at the far end of the district. "'Bite the Dust', on 501 Storm Avenue. Nothing out of the ordinary, save that it's only just opened this year." He shook his head. "Poor guy. Not even a year has passed before getting cased for a robbery."
"We'll stop them." Jaune said with conviction.
"How many people should we expect?" Blake asked.
"Seven. All grunts, but they have their Aura's unlocked. They can take a little 'rough housing.'"
"Good to know." They wouldn't need to hold back as much. "We'll need to borrow some weapons, too."
Tukson sighed, walking over to one of the myriad of bookshelves by the wall. "You're killing me here, Blake." Pulling on one of the books, a small and subtle 'click' echoed. A second after, a section of wall gave way, revealing an array of armaments within.
"Woah…" Jaune awed as Blake began to browse the selection. Turning to the older Faunus, he asked, "Why do you have all this?"
"My shop doubles as a supply depot for the White Fang." He replied simply. "It's nothing too impressive, just a lot of mass-produced stuff for grunts to use on inner-city ops."
Looking closer at the assortment of weaponry, Jaune found his words to be true: A majority of the weapons were nearly identical to each other. He saw Blake pick out a pair of single-edged swords and strapped them to her back, then grabbed another and tossed it to him.
Drawing it from its sheath, Jaune tried to get a feel for its weight, taking a few practice slashes. It was no Crocea Mors, but it would do.
Putting the blade away, he turned to Blake and let her know he was good to go.
"Wait." Tukson called out, halting them in their tracks. Opening a nearby drawer, he withdrew two masks. "Wear these."
Taking one into his hands, Jaune inspected it. It was a plain black mask with two narrow slits for vision and a series of small ventilation holes around the mouth. He found that it fit surprisingly well on his face.
"Why do we need these?" Blake asked, inspecting her own mask. Whereas Jaune's was black, hers was completely white.
"You don't wanna be recognized, do you?" Tukson countered. "That bow's not gonna be enough, especially if you don't want Adam on your tail. I'd even tie up your hair, just to be safe."
Conceding his point, Blake untied her bow, letting her ears free and using it to wrap her hair into a bun. Just as she was about to slip on her mask, she noticed Jaune staring at her, his eyes fixated on her Faunus appendages. "What?"
"… I was right," He said after a moment. "You do look cuter without the bow."
Scowling, Blake quickly donned her mask, hiding her reddening cheeks. "Stupid…" She turned to Tukson. "Thanks, Tukson."
He waved her off. "Thank me by coming back to buy more books. Now get going. No point in me doing all this if you're gonna miss them."
"Right." She turned to leave out the back door, gesturing for Jaune to follow. "This way."
Her partner and team leader nodded, giving Tukson a small wave as he joined her. "Right behind you."
When the door clicked behind them, Tukson let out an exhausted sigh. His shoulders slumped as he allowed his confident façade to melt away, leaving only the weary man beneath. He leaned against a nearby desk, eyeing the back exit with a concerned gaze.
Was he really making the right choice?
{ II }
The duo arrived near their destination as the sun finally dipped over the horizon, allowing the shattered moon full dominion over the sky. The streetlamps flickered on, providing closer illumination for night owl pedestrians than the natural moonlight.
They waited atop a nearby rooftop, staking out the shop after confirming that the robbery wasn't already in progress. They'd taken off their masks as they waited patiently for their targets to arrive, letting the cool night air kiss their faces. Blake was diligently keeping watch as Jaune stared up into the night sky.
"… We'll need call signs." Blake said suddenly, drawing his attention. "It's important that we keep our identities secret, so we should use something other than our names while we're down there."
"Like superhero names?" He chuckled at the thought. "I'm down. I've thought up a few good ones over the years."
"This isn't one of your comic books, Jaune." She chided him. "Be serious. You'll be Alpha; and I, Beta."
The blonde groaned. "But that's so boring though. Come on, hear me out."
"Jaune…" She warned menacingly
"Please?" He begged.
"…Fine." She let out an annoyed sigh. "Let's hear it."
His grin threatened to split his face. "The Huntsman and Cat Woman."
She gave him a scathing look from over her shoulder. "Is that really the best you could come up with?"
He laughed aloud. "Yeah, that was pretty bad. All right, all right, how about this: Dark Knight and Neko Ninja."
The Faunus rolled her eyes. "I'm not Yang. Keep going."
"White Knight and Black Cat?"
"I'm going to smack you."
As Jaune began to rapidfire more names, Blake did her best to suppress her smile; amused by his antics but unwilling to give him the satisfaction.
"Okay, last one: Noir and Shiro."
Blake pondered the names for a moment. Short, sweet, rolled off the tongue… "I like it."
"Great," her partner sighed. "It's a shame you didn't go for Kitty Kunoichi, but –"
She shushed him, eyes drawn to a black van that pulled up in front of the shop. Gesturing for him to come next to her, Blake watched as the van doors opened and several people began filing out: All of them in White Fang uniforms, all armed with swords and duffel bags slung over their shoulders.
Her fingers tightened on the edge of the rooftop; eyes narrowed as a complex expression crossed her features. She still couldn't believe that this is what's become of her father's organization.
"No better than common crooks at this point." She muttered under her breath.
"Six entered the shop." Jaune noted from beside her. "Tukson said seven total, so one's still in the van."
"Getaway driver." Blake concluded. "If things go south, they'll aim for a fast escape. They're our first target."
"Got it." He stood up and began to stretch. "How do you wanna go about this?"
"Take out the driver quietly, then go in hard and fast." She drew her blades. "Get his attention. I'll come around the other side."
Nodding, both of them jumped off the roof, ready to get to work.
{ III }
Mikael drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, watching attentively for his comrades to come back out of the shop. He was glad he was on driver duty, since it meant he got to sit on his ass while they did most of the work.
That said, this isn't what he imagined he'd be doing when he joined the White Fang. He was expecting to do something less… criminal, he supposed was the apt term. Robbing a Dust store didn't seem conducive to fighting for Faunus rights; doubly so since this one apparently didn't discriminate against Faunus customers. It didn't make much sense at all.
Sighing, he leaned his arm against the window and propped up his head. Sometimes he thought back to when he aspired to be a Huntsman, what it'd be like if he was as lucky or as talented as his brother. He wondered how he was doing now…
Suddenly, the door opened, causing him to almost fall out of the car. "Woah, what the fu-"
The barrel of a gun was pressed into his face.
He dared to follow the length of the barrel upwards, eyes trailing up the wielder's arm to stare into a blank black mask.
"Out. Now."
Mikael, having not been given neither choice nor time to comply, was forcefully yanked out of the vehicle and thrown onto the asphalt of the street on his hands and knees. Something slammed harshly into the back of his head, and he knew naught but darkness thereafter.
{ IV }
Jaune let out a breath as he watched the White Fang operative crumple to the ground after Blake struck him with the butt of her sword. "I'm surprised that worked. Don't most cars nowadays have an auto-lock feature?"
"They do, but he left it unlocked for ease of access." Blake explained. "Smash and grab jobs are all about speed, so they can't afford to mess around with locked doors." She pointed at the shop. "You take point. Remember, hard and fast."
"Right." He nodded, holstering White Rose; not wanting to accidently set off a Dust explosion by shooting it inside. Drawing his borrowed blade, he and Blake took up positions by the store's front door. Blake grabbed the handle with one hand, then began counting down with the other for him to see.
'Three. Two. One.'
As the last finger dropped, Jaune bolted through the door as Blake threw it open. Eyes quickly scanning his surroundings, Jaune saw four White Fang grunts by the Dust dispensers and two at the counter holding up the clerk—a young man with plain features. Only one of them seemed to have their weapon in hand (having it raised threateningly at the clerk), the others having holstered them in favor of handling the Dust. The chime of the doorbell alerted them to his presence, all of them at once turning to face him with surprise.
Thinking swiftly, Jaune blitzed the two at the counter in hopes of stopping a hostage situation before it could occur. The Faunus terrorist terrorizing the clerk swiveled around and counter charged as his comrade fumbled for his own weapon. Before the White Fang operative could bring their blade down on him, Jaune batted it aside with his own sword before grabbing the Faunus by the hood and slamming their head down into his knee. The blond released them—his opponent instinctively backpedaling while clutching their face—before following up with a powerful kick that launched them into their comrade, the both of them crashing into the counter and shattering the built-in display case.
The four by the dispensers quickly made to assist their fellows, but with their attention focused on Jaune, they didn't see Blake running at them with blades drawn. She dashed in-between her former brothers and sisters in arms, startling them before erupting into a storm of steel. Whenever one of them tried to retaliate, Blake merely replaced herself with a clone; and when their swords sliced through naught but shadows, she struck them from outside their periphery.
With his flank secured, Jaune could focus on his own fight, though to call it a fight would be generous to his opponents: Jaune was, to put it bluntly, beating a motherfucker with another motherfucker. Grabbing onto the head of one of the White Fang, Jaune repeatedly slammed it into the face of the other until he heard the distinctive fizzling of Aura breaking.
With one final bash between skulls to ensure their unconsciousness, Jaune turned around to see his partner finishing up on her end. They shared a look, nodding at each other once before the blond turned his attention to the terrified clerk cowering behind the counter.
"Are you okay?" He asked him.
"Y-Yeah," he got a nervous nod in return. The clerk rose from his crouched position, looking down at the bodies littering the floor of the shop. "Thanks for stopping them."
"No problem."
"J… Noir," Blake corrected herself. He turned to her, seeing that she confiscated one of the duffel bags the White Fang were using. "We're done here. Let's go."
"Wait, we're not gonna wait for the cops?" he asked in confusion.
"In case you forgot, staying to give testimonies would defeat the purpose of all this," She gestured to her mask and hair.
"R-Right," he conceded sheepishly. "My bad Bl-I mean, Shiro."
She rolled her eyes as she exited the store. "Come on."
As Jaune made to follow her, the clerk called after him. "Wait! Who are you guys?"
Tossing a look over his shoulder and giving the man a thumbs up, Jaune replied, "Just your friendly neighborhood vigilantes!"
When the disguised blond left the shop, the clerk once again surveyed the damage done to the shop, as well as the groaning bodies scattered on the floor.
'You call this friendly?'
{ V }
Blake led them away from the Dust shop and down several alleys—the blades at their hips deterred any would-be muggers and other such ruffians who normally inhabited the narrow passageways—until they found one that was completely empty and secluded. She tossed the duffel bag down on the ground and put her weapons and mask in it, gesturing for Jaune to do the same. She redid her bow, freeing her hair and concealing her ears once more.
"It's late." Jaune said, looking at his scroll. There were several messages and missed calls from Weiss and Pyrrha, both of them wondering where they were, but he would ignore them for a moment longer. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Do you think if we book it, we can catch the last bullhead to Beacon?"
She shook her head. "We won't make it. We'll have to find some lodging in the city tonight."
Jaune clicked his tongue with a grimace. "Crap… Weiss isn't gonna be happy."
"I'm sure she can last one night without her human body pillow." Blake said with another roll of her eyes.
"You're not one she's gonna yell at when we get back." Gods, he could already imagine the dressing down he'd be getting. "So we're heading back to Tukson's for the night?"
"No," she said immediately. "The White Fang are bound to get in contact with him tonight after we stopped the robbery. We can't risk it." She beckoned him to follow her once again, walking out of the alley and down the street. "Besides, I've troubled him enough today. I don't want to take advantage of him too much."
He nodded in understanding. "Makes sense. Guess we'll shack up at a hotel then?"
"…I've got somewhere in mind, actually. It's nice, cheap, and close. Best of all, they don't ask any questions."
"Sounds great. Where's it at?"
They came to a sudden stop. "Right here."
Jaune realized they stood in front of a relatively large building with bright neon lights. The name of the place, 'Hotel Hedon' lit up a bright pink. He noticed the hourly rates were posted just outside the door. "Woah, 50 lien for a night? That's a steal!" Something strange caught his eye. "Why does it list half-hour rates, though? Who stays at a hotel for only half an hour?"
'You'd be surprised.' The Faunus thought to more he talked, the more she seemed to tense up. "Let's go see if they have any rooms."
They walked into the lobby, where a friendly-looking woman greeted them from the reception. "Welcome to Hotel Hedon! How may I service you tonight?"
"We'd like a room for the full night, please." Blake answered. "The cheapest one you have available."
"Of course, give me one moment to check our systems." The receptionist typed away at her terminal for a few seconds. "Mmh, I'm sorry. It seems all of our standard rooms are occupied at the moment. The next one up from that is the Shibari Suite, if you're interested?"
Blake's face scrunched up as she took a deep breath. "That's… That's fine."
"Shibari…" Jaune murmured. "Where have I heard that before?"
"Don't worry about it." She hissed as she handed over the fee.
"Thank you, ma'am! Here's your room key. The Shibari Suite will be on the third floor. I hope you two have a wonderful stay!"
As they began their walk to their room, Jaune held a conflicted expression on his face. "I could have paid for us, you know."
"Do you carry cash?" Blake asked as they entered the elevator.
"Huh?" He was stunned by the suddenness of her question.
"Do you carry physical money?" She reiterated.
He shook his head. "No, I use credit."
"Then it's better that I paid. Cards leave a trail, which is something you- we don't want." The blond gave her a befuddled look but didn't question it further, much to her relief. "Besides, you can always pay me back later if you want."
Jaune nodded, promising to do just that. He knew that Blake didn't have access to the funds he had, so he felt kinda bad having her pay for them.
The elevator door opened as they reached their floor. Luckily for them, their room was just a few doors down.
Blake stood in front of their room with no small amount of trepidation, hoping to the Brother Gods that the room was not as bad as she thought it was.
"Blake?" Jaune asked worriedly. "Is everything all right?"
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, was just…" She desperately tried to come up with a believable explanation. "… thinking about how to explain this to Weiss and Pyrrha."
He nodded, sighing tiredly in agreement. "Yeah, me too." He flashed her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll come up with something after we rest for a bit."
She took a breath before she opened the door. "Hopefully."
They entered the room, taking a brief moment to examine their surroundings: It was small and confined, yet not uncomfortable; more cozy than anything else. Their Queen-sized bed laid opposite of a large flatscreen TV atop a hybrid TV stand/ dresser, with a minifridge beside it. The entire atmosphere of the room was dark and foreboding, as everything was painted in black and grey, almost like a dungeon.
It was just about what Blake was expecting.
"Huh…" Jaune murmured, spying a couple of hooks on the ceiling. "Neat." His eyes caught something on the TV stand. "A menu! Oum, yes, I'm starving!"
Seeing as he was distracted, Blake quickly seized the welcoming gifts on their bed—a large bundle of rope, a pack of rubbers, and a few 'toys'— and threw them under it. "Go ahead and order us something." She told him. "I'm gonna take a shower."
As his partner disappeared into the bathroom, Jaune leapt onto the bed back-first with the menu in hand. He reached over to the nightstand and rang up the room service, briefly wondering if it would be racist to assume Blake would want the fish.
'Nah, she gets that all the time at lunch.' He chuckled to himself. 'The salmon doesn't sound half bad, now that I think about it.'
After ordering their food, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his scroll.
"Ah, shit." He cursed, spotting a missed call from his mom. If he didn't call her back, there'd be hell to pay. Quickly, he redialed her number. He didn't have to wait long for her to pick up. "Hey mom!"
"Jaune, where are you?" Glynda interrogated him immediately. "Weiss told me you and Blake disappeared earlier today and are still not back in your dorm."
Wincing, Jaune knew he had to be careful with his words. His mom could see through any lies he told, though whether that was by virtue of being his mother or his inability to lie convincingly, he wasn't sure. "We went out to Vale to visit Blake's friend. Lost track of time and missed the last bullhead back, so we're staying at a hotel for the night."
He saw his mother sigh in relief. "At least you found a place to sleep. Did you need me to transfer some funds to pay for your room?"
"No, it's all right. Blake took care of it."
Glynda let out a small noise of amusement. "If I was your father, I'd scold you for letting a woman pay for the night out."
"Good thing you're not dad, huh?" He laughed. "Sorry for missing your call earlier. I was in the middle of something."
"It's all right, dear, though you really should notify Weiss and Miss Nikos about your situation. They seemed worried sick."
"I'll call them right after this." He promised. "…So, how was your day?"
"Oh, you know, same as always. Ozpin has me stuck with all the administrative work as usual. Honestly, it feels like I'm the one running Beacon rather than him!"
"You are kinda awesome, mom. I mean, mother of eight? My sisters and I practically trained you for it!"
"Don't you remind me, young man!" She jokingly scolded him. "Oum knows how much trouble your sisters got themselves into!" His mother sighed fondly. "Despite not having wings, you were an absolute angel compared to them. Always such a good boy for me when you were younger…"
"Moooom!" He groaned, having heard the story a hundred times already.
A motherly chuckle echoed over the line. "Fine, fine, I'll stop for now."
There was a knock on the door. "Room service!"
"Ah, food's here. Could you let Weiss know I'll call her soon?"
"Sure thing, dear. Enjoy your meal."
{ VI }
"I see." Weiss said politely. "Thank you, Mrs. Arc."
"Of course, Weiss." Glynda replied. "Have a good night, sweetie. I'm rooting for you."
The corners of the heiress's lips curled up slightly as she hung up. The Arc matriarch was always so kind and supportive to her. It was good to have her approval already.
"I'm still surprised that Professor Goodwitch is Jaune's mother." Pyrrha commented from her bed. "She looks remarkably good for a mother of eight."
"That she does." She readily agreed.
Glynda Arc-Goodwitch was easily one of the most beautiful women she's ever laid eyes on. Weiss could count the number of women who could rival her elegance and attractiveness on one hand and have fingers to spare. Jaune was certainly lucky to inherit a portion of his mother's beauty.
Weiss suspired as the boy crossed her mind for the umpteenth time today. She had hoped to invite him to a day out tomorrow under the guise of a team outing, wherein she would attempt to monopolize his time for the duration of it. Alas, he was missing, vanishing alongside his partner.
Her face twisted into a conflicted expression at the thought of the black-haired girl.
Blake Belladonna had become… something akin to a friend, she supposed. They were not close, certainly not to the extent she and Pyrrha had become, let alone she and Jaune, but they were more than acquaintances for sure. It was definitely better than one would have expected, considering how they first met.
Beyond the scope of their initial disagreements, she was an unproblematic teammate. In fact, she had gotten along with Pyrrha and Jaune surprisingly well, what with their shared interest in that utter filth that she called 'art,' plus her interest in Jaune's heritage. The latter certainly caught her attention when she first noticed it, and not in a good way.
Why exactly did she know so much about the Arcs? Did she partner up with Jaune purely because of his family? Would she need to worry about her becoming a potential rival for Jaune's hand like Pyrrha?
She glanced at her partner, who also seemed to be consumed by her own thoughts. The redhead's insistence on pursuing Jaune had put a small strain on their friendship, but not enough to cause any major issues. It was more of an annoyance than anything else, really; which was a feeling she hoped the championship fighter shared. After all, at the end of the day, she really did come to consider Pyrrha as one of her best friends.
Disregarding the fact that, when they were not quarreling over Jaune's affection, they got along splendidly; with Pyrrha, Weiss found someone who shared the same struggles of fame that she did. Despite Jaune's heritage, they were but a relic of a bygone age, whose place in the modern sphere of influence faded during the time of his grandfather. He did not have to worry about keeping up appearances as she did. He could not understand that part of her as Pyrrha could, despite how desperately she wanted him to.
The ring of her scroll drew her from her musings, showing Jaune's called ID. Picking up, she was immediately greeted by his sheepish smile.
"Heya Weiss. Sorry for not getting back to you until now. Been kinda busy. I hope you're not too angry at me." There was a small pause. "… Are you angry at me?"
She scowled at him.
"Oh yeah, you're angry."
"Where are you?" She demanded.
"In Vale with Blake. We missed the last bullhead so we're staying at a hotel."
"Why are you in Vale? I thought you needed to help her with an assignment?"
"She needed to get something from a bookstore in town. You know, Tukson's Book Trade?"
"And you had to accompany her for such a menial task?"
"… Yes, I did." He said after a moment's pause. "It didn't feel right letting her go alone."
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to wrap her head around his reasoning. "All right, so you went out to Vale to get a book for Blake. What caused you to miss the last bullhead back?"
"We kinda just let time get away from us."
"Doing what exactly?"
"Stuff."
She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth in lieu of clenching her teeth. "Jaune Arc, I am in no mood to entertain your foolishness tonight. Stop being so evasive and just tell me what you two were doing."
"What do you want me to say, Weiss? We were having fun doing a bunch of random crap and lost track of time. It's not a big deal."
Sighing deeply, Weiss took a moment to consider the situation. In all fairness, he was correct in saying time flies when one is having fun. Really, the fact that he and Blake would be absent tonight was not much of a problem at all once she thought about it, save for the disruption of their nightly and early morning routines.
Yet she couldn't help but feel that he wasn't telling her everything. She knew Jaune was horrible at telling lies, so he favored using vague half-truths: Lies by omission, if one would. Compounded with the fact that his being alone with Blake elicited a smoldering jealousy within her, Weiss couldn't help but be frustrated with the current situation.
Feeling a headache coming on, she decided to take him at his word for now. "Fine. I apologize for making a fuss out of something so inconsequential."
His features morphed into a guilty expression. "… I'm sorry, too. I know you're just worried about me, and I apologize for that. I promise to do better."
"You utter dunce…" She tried in vain to keep from smiling. "I will surely have a poor night's rest tonight without you. You had better make it up to me."
"I will." He beamed at her. "You have my word."
"Weiss," Pyrrha said, standing in front of her with a shy expression. "Could I perhaps talk to Jaune as well?"
The heiress looked between her partner and her scroll for a moment, hesitation flashing briefly in her eyes, before handing over the device. "Of course. I'm sure he has some words for you as well."
As the scroll exchanged hands, Pyrrha shot Weiss a grateful smile. "Thank you, Weiss." Her emerald eyes shot down to the screen as she took a seat next to her partner. "Hello, Jaune."
"Heya Pyr! Again, sorry for disappearing without a word. Not exactly good team leader etiquette."
"It's fine! Do you think you'll be back in time for conditioning exercises tomorrow?"
"I'll try my darndest! Sorry to leave you alone for the morning run though." He seemed to think for a moment. "Maybe Weiss can get up in time to go with you?"
"I won't force her, but if she would like to~?" She practically sang, giving Weiss an unsubtle look.
The white-haired girl couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Since my bedfellow won't be there to entice me to sleep in, I suppose I could join you."
"There you go! Problem solved."
"Not quite, mister!" She teased. "I'm gonna work you twice as hard for skipping our run! I can't let our dear team leader become a slacker, can I?"
"Jaune, who's that?" The two girls heard from offscreen.
Their leader turned his head to face the owner of the voice. "Oh, hey Blake. Just on call with Weiss and Pyrrha." He turned the scroll to face Blake, who was dressed in a bathrobe with a towel over her head. "Say hi."
"Oh." There was a small pause, the girl looking like a deer in headlights before awkwardly waving at them. "… Hi."
"Hello, Blake." The girls returned coldly, not at all pleased to see her in such a state of undress while alone with their love interest. "Did you have fun with our team leader today?"
"It was… somewhat enjoyable, yes." The black-haired girl replied awkwardly.
"If you don't mind me asking," Pyrrha started. "What hotel are you staying at?"
"I think the name was 'Hotel Hedon,' right?" Jaune asked his partner.
They saw Blake stiffen.
They did too, because they recognized the name.
Hotel Hedon was, after all, one of the most common hook-up places known to the student body.
"YOU'RE STAYING AT A LOVE HOTEL!?" Weiss and Pyrrha screeched in sync.
Before they could say anything more, Blake lunged for Jaune's scroll, wrenched it out of his hands, then shut it off
{ VII }
"Monty damnit, Jaune." Blake cursed under her breath as she pinched the bridge of her brow. Things just got a lot more complicated for her.
'How the hell am I going to explain this to them when we get back?!' She asked herself silently.
"What's the big deal?" Jaune asked in befuddlement. "A hotel's a hotel, right? Why did they seem so surprised?"
"Don't," She took a breath. "… Don't worry about it. They'll explain it tomorrow."
"Okay…" He was still dubious, but ignored it for now. He gestured to the plate of salmon and rice on the nightstand. "Food's here, by the way. I already ate mine, so go ahead and dig in while I take my shower."
"Right… Thanks." A well-prepared fish would definitely take her mind off her troubles.
Grabbing her plate and sitting on the bed, she moaned in satisfaction as the first bite of fish hit her taste buds; her cat ears perking happily
Her towel had fallen off her head after she lunged for Jaune's scroll. Thankfully, she had already shut the device off before the towel had completely slipped off.
Now that she thought about it, today was the longest she'd ever had her ears unbound in a while. It was nice, and much more comfortable than she was used to. The appendages certainly thanked her for being allowed to move freely.
Though tying her ears up wasn't too painful, there was always a slight discomfort whenever she had to wear her bow for long periods of time. To be able to go half a day without having to hide the proof of her Faunus heritage was… just plain nice.
It took only a few minutes before her entire plate was licked clean. Jaune came out of the bathroom just as she finished, dressed in his own robe as he finished drying his hair with his towel.
Stretching, Jaune groaned in relief as his joints popped in a satisfying manner. "Hah, man. What a day. Can't wait to hit the sack."
Blake hummed in agreement, a minute wave of fatigue washing over her. Moving their empty plates to the TV stand, she heard the bed creak slightly behind her. Turning, she saw Jaune already under the covers.
"Big spoon or little spoon?" He joked with a toothy grin.
"Neither," She growled with flushed cheeks. Swiftly, she slipped into her side of the bed with her back towards him and bade him a terse, "Good night."
"Good night." He returned with a soft chuckle as he turned off the lights; adopting a similar position to her before closing his eyes.
They laid like that in silence for a few moments before Blake's voice cut through it.
"… Jaune?"
"Yeah?"
The covers were pulled up slightly to hide her face. "Thanks again for helping me tonight. I really do appreciate it."
"Any time." He returned readily.
Slumber took them soon after, both falling asleep with smiles on their faces.
A/N: Sorry for the late update, but this is why I never promised consistency XD
[1]: So Jaune's outfit here is based on his fantastic outfit in Fan Webcomic, Henceforward by Kuma. It's missing the armored bits, but is otherwise identical.
I hope you guys enjoyed. I'll catch you later.