The bright sun brought warm rays of light onto Jaune's face as he walked among the packed throngs of festival goers. Though the fall weather brought with it a slight chill, he'd never felt warmer than he had right now. The cloudless sky was only partly contributing to that feeling.
Clad in his black Haven Academy uniform, his sleeves were each occupied by a girl. Ruby hung onto his right, while Weiss clung to his left. With a girl on each arm he must have been the envy of onlookers both of civilian and huntsmen variety. This was, after all, the ideal school life come true. Attending a magical monster hunting school, acquiring a harem of girls along the way, it was the dream of every prospective huntsman.
What they all failed to realize, however, was that this dream was in reality a waking nightmare.
Not that he would let such a reality detract from today. Having won their four versus four match against Team NDGO, Jaune and his team now had today off as the round finished off. Tomorrow the doubles round would begin, and his team was scheduled to take part in it. For now he wouldn't give it any thought. He would simply enjoy the day with two of the three girls who had found places in his heart. Whose hearts he'd found places in as well.
What better way to spend the day than a date with them enjoying all that the Vytal Festival had to offer? Whichever way he looked was a treat to the senses, be it the colorful sights, the beautiful sounds of music, or the appetizing smells of food. He had absolutely no idea where to even begin, and he was hopeful that one of the girls would find something to their fancy and take the lead.
With this much food, fun, and entertainment, surely it wouldn't take long, right?
"So, have you two seen anything you like so far?" he asked the pair on either side of him.
"There's so much delicious food," Ruby breathed excitedly. A glance down at his little Cookie Monster showed her practically salivating as she looked around. "I could really go for a nice big cow leg right now."
Shades of Grimm Academy flashed back in Jaune's mind. He remembered all too well the feeding habits of the hybrids. How they had gone to town on entire limbs of animals. Raw, until he had introduced them to cooking.
Perhaps he could find a way to satisfy that craving in a normal, civilized manner.
"Actually," he said, urging the girls to turn around with him, backtracking to return to a stall they'd passed by not too long ago. "I saw something back there which sounds right up your alley. How does a turkey leg sound to you?"
A staple of festivals and fairs, the giant turkey leg was a meal unfit for regular everyday consumption, but more than acceptable for an atmosphere like this one. It was expected, even! No one would bat an eye at Ruby or any of them chowing down on such a meaty treat. Well, except for maybe the fact that her five-foot-two was inhaling something so large without a care in the world for how much grease was covering her face.
Then again, huntsmen and huntresses were all such eccentric creatures. One had to be in order to choose this line of work. It was the perfect cover.
Silver eyes lit up, shining like mirrors as she peered up eagerly into Jaune's own. "Yes, please!" she all but insisted. "Turkey leg me!"
"I shall have one as well," Weiss agreed. "It would not be the first time I've enjoyed polishing off a thick, meaty bone."
He knew she was referring to actual meat, and yet given Weiss'... unfiltered mouth and filthy mind, he couldn't help but know that either way she would be speaking the truth.
Returning to the turkey leg stand, Jaune purchased three and handed one each to the girls. Ruby tore into hers with reckless abandon, holding it close with two hands and happily munching away on the juicy meat. Her cheeks bulged out, filled with meat, like a happy, adorable hamster.
Weiss took smaller, more delicate bites more fitting of her refined nature, but as he knew all too well, it was always the polite classy ones who hid their true nature the best.
Jaune too found himself unable to contain himself as he enjoyed his meal at a speed somewhere between Ruby and Weiss'. As they walked, talked, and ate, he found himself suddenly feeling even better than before now that he had some food in his stomach. He felt energized and ready to take on the day. Spending that day with two hybrids, he knew he would need all of the fuel he could get in order to keep up with them.
Weiss tugged on his sleeve, and he looked down to see her peering up at him. "Let's do this next," she said, pointing over to a larger tented stand.
Inside it was a large screen, flanked on each side by speakers, and several seats. Though it was outdoors, there was no mistaking what this place was.
"A karaoke stand?" Jaune asked. Sure enough, looking up at the sign hung on the tent, it was an outdoor karaoke bar.
Weiss nodded fiercely. "Indeed. In the Mistrali comics which I have read, karaoke is an important part of life and culture for school-going teenagers. Seeing how we are school-going teenagers, it would only be appropriate for us to sing."
Jaune couldn't help but smile. How very human of her. She wanted to enjoy that genuine experience that she'd only read about for herself. Of course they could do karaoke. How could he ever-
"And in the process, dazzle the onlookers with my beautiful singing voice and prove my obvious superiority over them all."
And just like that, her Weissiness was showing.
Still, he would never say no to her. Even if it was in part due to her pride, Jaune wanted his girls to experience every human emotion they possibly could. Weiss showing off her singing voice, for better or for worse, was a part of that.
"Sure," he readily agreed. He turned to his right next. "How about you, Ruby?"
Ruby said nothing, only shaking her head as she munched on the remainder of her turkey leg. Wait, when had she gotten two?
Wait, where had the one in his hand gone?
Jaune's eyes widened when he realized that as he was speaking with Weiss, Ruby must have slipped his unfinished meal from his fingers in order to finish it herself.
He couldn't even be mad. He was more impressed than anything.
Shaking his head, Jaune smiled as he looked back and forth between them. "Okay then. Weiss sings, and we'll be her audience."
The white-haired hybrid held her head high, filled with her typical poise and confidence as she led the way to the tent. "Prepare to be wow'd by my siren song," she declared. "I should warn you, however, I am not responsible for the gaggle of pathetic humans who will be drawn to it and to me. Are you prepared to fight off those weak fools who would dare try to steal me and NTR you?"
Jaune didn't know what that last part meant, but he was sure it could be nothing good.
"Uh, sure?" he answered uncertainly.
Weiss nodded. After paying the operator for their time, Weiss picked up a small tablet and began scrolling through songs to sing. She'd only paid for one, so Jaune hoped it would be a good one.
Honestly he didn't know what to expect. Weiss seemed confident, but then again, this was Weiss he was talking about here. She was always confident even when she had no right to be. So she might either be incredibly good, or horrifically bad.
Simple yet upbeat music began to play. Jaune couldn't say he was familiar with the melody, and he had no clue what this song was supposed to be. He saw how Weiss held the microphone with both hands close to her chest just below her face. She stared at the screen which would display the lyrics. Any second now, the song would begin...
"Baby shark do do do do do do, baby shark do do do do do do, baby shark do do do do do do, baby shark..."
Jaune blinked. This wasn't a song. Okay, it was a song. It just wasn't music. No, it was music alright, it was just...
This had to be some sort of children's song! Some kind of nursery rhyme! Something completely and totally unfitting to be sung at a karaoke booth, much less by a teenage girl who was supposed to be a huntress!
And yet, the strangest part of all?
Weiss' voice was gorgeous!
"Mommy shark do do do do do do, mommy shark do do do do do do, mommy shark do do do do do do, mommy shark..."
He didn't know how, he didn't know why, but his Snow Angel's singing voice truly was angelic! Regardless of the lyrics to the song, Weiss was absolutely nailing it. She was making this kiddie song sound like the most beautiful piece of music ever composed.
"Daddy shark do do do do do do, daddy shark do do do do do do, daddy shark do do do do do do, daddy shark..."
A crowd had indeed gathered around, though Jaune had his doubts it was about trying to steal her away from him. Some of the whispered and murmured comments made their way to his ears, and they ranged from incredulous amusement for picking to sing such a song, to shock that she was brave enough to do so. A few even gave words to the utter surprise Jaune felt at her voice being so stunningly beautiful.
"Grandma shark do do do do do do, grandma shark do do do do do do, grandma shark do do do do do do, grandma shark..."
It wasn't a very long song, and Jaune wasn't sure if he should be thankful or not for this. On one hand, Weiss wouldn't be singing the embarrassing lyrics for too long. On the other, he wouldn't get to hear her sing anymore. He would have to think on that more later on. He wanted, needed to hear her sing again. Something more mature next time.
When the music ceased Weiss turned around, and her eyes opened to the crowd which had gathered around. They roared in approval, and Weiss smiled a soft, serene smile as she dipped her head politely in thanks.
Setting the microphone down, she returned to Jaune and Ruby's side. Both he and Ruby wrapped their arms around her, pulling her in an enormous threeway hug which engulfed the tiny hybrid's petite body.
"That was incredible!" Jaune gushed.
"You're so talented!" Ruby agreed.
Even with her face squished up against their bodies, Weiss found no difficulty in replying. "Yes, I know."
"Where did you... how are you..." Jaune tried to ask, but found himself stumbling over just how to phrase the question.
To his surprise, Weiss shrugged in response. "I do not know. I just... have always had a talent for singing."
Always. He wondered if she had perhaps taken lessons before being abducted by Salem. This was no accidental talent gained through singing in the shower. He would definitely want to ask Winter about that the next time he saw her.
"Did it move you, Jaune?" she followed up. "Songbirds use their music as part of their mating rituals, so I do hope that I was able to convey the love and desire I have for you in that song."
Jaune blinked. The lyrics left much to be desired in terms of... romance. Unless she was perhaps telling him that she wanted to be the mommy shark and he the daddy shark. However, this just left Jaune with more questions than answers. The first and foremost in his mind being...
"Can I ask why you chose that song?"
Weiss nodded sternly. "I chose it because I like sharks," she said matter-of-factly.
"Sharks?"
"Indeed. What is there not to like about sharks? They are fearsome apex predators who swim swiftly through the water before devouring their prey with dozens of razor-sharp teeth. They are the ideal creature. Beautiful, elegant, and dangerous all in one finned, cylindrical package."
What an appropriately Weissy answer. Knowing her for as long as he had, Jaune saw her logic and couldn't argue with it. In fact, he could even agree with it.
"You're right about that," he smiled.
She nodded once more, appreciative of his understanding. "Speaking of swimming, we should go to the beach. I found our beach episode against Team NDGO to be very disappointing and uneventful, as we did not even get to fight over which one of us was allowed to apply sunscreen to your back."
"Weiss, that wasn't a beach episode. That was a tournament fight. You've been reading way too many Mistrali comics if you ask me."
"Be that as it may, we still must go to the beach. It is relevant to my interests."
Honestly? A day at the beach sounded nice. Even if the weather was getting colder, they still had some time before it would be too cold to enjoy the water. Or even if it was only lounging on the sand, that sounded like a wonderful and relaxing experience.
Not today, and probably not anytime soon, but someday... someday he would like to take all the girls to the beach.
"We will then," he agreed. "Not today obviously, but someday."
Weiss smiled. "Good. I look forward to it. I do hope I will get to see a shark in person."
Most of the time seeing a shark while playing on the beach would be a bad thing, but Jaune wasn't about to tell Weiss that. He didn't want to spoil her good mood.
"So, what should we do next?" he asked. "Maybe play some games?"
Looking around, Jaune searched for the closest game booth. As luck would have it...
"You know, they may not be sharks, but would you all like to try to catch some goldfish?"
Sure enough, one of the nearby booths had a large tank of water filled with dozens of the tiny creatures. The goal was to use a flimsy paper scooper to try and get a hold of one and place it into your bowl of water. Whatever you caught you got to keep.
"Oooh, yes!" Ruby squealed excitedly.
Racing over to the booth, Ruby hunched over to get a closer look at the little fish swimming around inside the open-topped tank. Jaune and Weiss came up behind her. Even without the ability to sense emotions, Jaune could tell Ruby was ecstatic at the idea of playing this game.
"There's so many," she said, utterly enthralled at the game before her. "Which one should I get?"
"I think the goal is to try to get any one you can," Jaune explained. "It'll be hard to single one out with how the game works."
Ruby turned after receiving her paper scooper, brandishing it before her like the scythe she wielded a day prior at the tournament. "We'll see about that."
Picking up her bowl, Ruby held both her items in front of her, silver eyes darting around like a hunter keeping a watchful eye on her prey. Then without warning, fast as lightning, she struck.
One goldfish.
Before he could even comment Ruby lashed out once more. Two goldfish.
Her speed was incredible. Ruby scooped so fast that the paper didn't even have a chance to break. In a matter of heartbeats she'd already scooped five fish into her bowl. However, as focused as he was on her incredible feat of skill, something else drew Jaune's attention away as Ruby was enjoying herself.
"I am sneaking... I am sneaking... I am sneaking..."
Being as utterly conspicuous as could be, Jaune saw how a tall, slowly assembled cardboard box was slowly creeping forward a few feet away from them. It would have stood out of place under normal circumstances. The fact that it was moving only made it all the more obvious that it was out of place, and that somebody was inside it.
Blake? No. Not her style. She was a true master of stealth, unlike Nebula the day before. The leader of Team NDGO had paid the price for her foolish attempts at stalking Jaune by his one and only true stalker.
Before he could think on it any further, Jaune felt a poke against his arm, and he turned to see Ruby proudly holding a bowl out in front of her. It was filled with swimming gold and orange creatures.
"I got ten!" she stated proudly.
Jaune was blown away. For her first ever attempt at playing such a game she'd done incredibly well. "Wow," he said honestly. "That's amazing."
"It is?"
"Yeah. But..."
Ruby tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowing with confusion. "But what?"
"You're probably gonna have to give them back. Or away."
She blinked. "What? Why?"
He couldn't believe he was about to say what he was, but it was the truth. "Because Blake will eat them when we're not looking."
Realization dawned on the hybrid's face. She looked down disappointedly at the fish she'd caught before peering back up at Jaune. Ruby nodded grimly, accepting the truth for what it was.
"Ohhh... right."
"He's not wrong," an all too familiar voice said.
The box was still present, and as he'd thought, Blake was not inside of it.
Jaune turned to see the elusive hybrid standing out of all their peripheries. Even if he had known she was around, the fresh outfit she wore today would have hidden her even from his own experienced eyes. With sunglasses and a black beret, Blake looked more like some sort of beatnik poet than the huntress student she was supposed to be. The light brown turtleneck and tight black leather pants didn't help matters at all.
"Do I even want to know where you stole this outfit from?" he asked as the hybrid approached.
Blake lowered the sunglasses over her nose, staring down them pretentiously as she gazed up at Jaune. "From a girl who has more clothes than fashion sense," she replied vaguely. "She won't be missing them."
He wasn't exactly sure if that was true, but he'd learned long ago that he could do nothing to stop Blake from doing what she wanted to do.
"More importantly," she continued, turning and approaching the mysterious, potentially dangerous box. "This trend of you collecting stalkers like they're members of your harem is vexing."
"I couldn't agree more!" Weiss chimed in. "A harem of more than three ladies gets cluttered and confusing!"
Without wasting more words, Blake grabbed hold of the box and ripped it upward, revealing the obvious fact that there was someone inside of it. However, it was the last person who Jaune would have expected to be in it.
"Penny?" Ruby questioned.
The surprised and exposed girl merely blinked as she looked at the three people she'd apparently been following. "Rosalyn," she replied. "This- this isn't what it looks like. I am merely scouting you as potential opponents for the tournament." She hiccupped. "I have no ulterior motives!" She hiccupped again.
Blake leaned in, again lowering her stolen sunglasses so that she could look upon the girl unimpeded. "What a pathetic excuse for a stalker," she growled. "I have no fear of being usurped by you. I'm simply insulted by the attempt."
Penny backpedaled a step, raising her hands defensively before her. "I- I am just observing Team AWRY in case we meet in the tournament! I have no other reason for sneaking around and spying on them!" Hiccup.
Leaning in even further, Blake sniffed Penny. That alone would have been creepy enough, but when she moved back her eyes widened and her head tilted. "You act frightened, but this is merely for show. It's like... you feel nothing at all..."
Penny shook her head. "W-what do you mean? I am a perfectly normal girl who is able to experience the entire spectrum of human emotions! Including fear!" Hiccup.
"What is it you could be after, I wonder? Curiouser and curiouser..."
"I am after nothing! I merely wished to speak to my close, personal friend, Rosalyn Rouge."
"Blake! Leave her alone!" Ruby protested.
Despite what Blake said, Penny appeared very frightened, and Jaune couldn't blame her. For the uninitiated, dealing with Blake would have been downright terrifying. Unless of course you were Sun. Then the roles were reversed in the most unlikely of ways possible. If only he was here right now to distract her. It looked like Jaune would have to do the job himself.
"What are you?" Blake whispered. "The curiosity is killing me..."
It was time to step in and break up this madness. Jaune stepped forward between the two girls, but not in the middle of them. "Well you know what they say about cats and curiosity..."
Blake grinned, her attention coming off of Penny and onto him. "Good afternoon, my darling. Are you enjoying your date?"
He had been. In fact, despite the distraction, he still was. However, now that Blake and Penny were here things had been slightly derailed. Perhaps he needed to go have a little chat with the hybrid in order to sate whatever jealousy she might have been experiencing right now. After all, he knew that she wouldn't want to share his time with Ruby and Weiss. Promising her to spend some alone time with her later might free up the remainder of his day to spend with the other two girls.
"Let's go over this way for a minute, Blake," he said, urging her with a hand on her shoulder. "Be right back," he told the others.
She complied willingly. Perhaps it was his touch which allowed him to move the girl without so much as a single protest.
Before they got too far, however, she turned back to regard the fourth, non-hybrid girl. "You are a strange one, Penny Polendina."
"Pot, meet kettle..." Jaune muttered.
Blake flashed a wild, toothy grin at him. "You're such a cruel boy, my love." She hugged herself tightly, her torso swaying back and forth as she moaned softly. "You know just how I like it..."
Jaune wouldn't be gone for long. All he had to do was make some future plans with Blake, and then he would get back to the fun and festivities with Ruby and Weiss.
This time, without being stalked by either Blake or Penny.
Ruby was used to Blake and her antics, but Penny was a new addition. As it turned out she had been hiding in a box and following them in order to gain information about their team in the tournament. Regardless of this fact, she was still a dear friend to Ruby, and she wouldn't hold it against the other girl at all. She wanted to make that absolutely clear to her second ever human friend.
"Penny, it's okay that you were following us," she assured the other girl. "I'm not mad."
Her friend couldn't look her in the eye when she nodded furiously. "Yes. That is all I was doing. I was only doing this for my team's benefit." She hiccupped.
While Ruby was no expert on reading the facial and body language of humans, it appeared to even her that Penny was uncomfortable. Then there were those strange noises she made after she spoke. Were both perhaps a byproduct of speaking with Blake? The eccentric hybrid was a mysterious and dangerous girl, and in that strange outfit she was wearing, she appeared even more frightening than usual.
Weiss meanwhile decided to try her hand at the fish catching game, paying for a scooper and eyeing the fish in the tank with curious, intense focus.
"I'm sorry about our friend," Ruby smiled. "She's sort of protective of Jaune. I guess she didn't like that you were following us around."
Penny tapped the tips of her fingers together, her head hung low to look down at the ground.
She spoke again, unable to meet Ruby's soft, silver gaze. "Rosalyn... I am afraid I have not been entirely honest with you."
The genuine hurt in Penny's voice was apparent for Ruby to hear. She silently felt a similar twinge of guilt in her heart. She too was hiding a secret from Penny. Unlike the ginger girl, Ruby was not a normal human girl.
"Penny?" Ruby asked worriedly.
"You see... I have lied to you about my intentions here today. I am not following you in order to gain intelligence on prospective tournament opponents."
"Why did my scooper break so easily!" Weiss squawked from out of sight. "Another!"
Ruby's head tilted as she regarded her second human friend. "What do you mean?"
Finally Penny's head rose, and her sad, green eyes met Ruby's own. "You see... I was ordered to follow you and your team by General Ironwood. He said it was a sensitive mission which must remain secret."
A sensitive mission that must remain secret? But telling her this went against all of that. Ruby didn't understand why her friend had been ordered to do so, but if Penny was going against the wishes of her pack Alpha, then that was a bad thing. Right?
"Why?" was all Ruby could think to ask.
Penny shook her head. "He said he suspects something is amiss, and that it would be up to Ciel and me to use our close bonds with you to discover just what you were hiding."
Hiding. A cold chill ran down Ruby's spine. She was indeed hiding something. They all were. If their true nature ever came out then they would all be in mortal danger. She, Yang, Weiss, and Blake would probably all be killed. Jaune would be imprisoned at best and executed at worst.
It was an outcome she could not allow to happen.
"If those were your orders... if your Al- um, leader gave them to you, then why are you telling me?"
"Oh come on!" Weiss yelled.
"This mission... it was not one that I could undertake effortlessly. It did not feel right. These were orders which I did not feel were good." Penny took Ruby's hands in her gloved ones, and squeezed them gently. "Because you are my friend, Rosalyn Rouge. And friends should never betray the trust of the ones they care for. That is why I am telling you."
Ruby's face soured, but not out of disgust or anger. No, it was that guilt creeping through her once more. Penny was disobeying her Alpha because her friendship with Ruby was just that strong. Ruby, unfortunately, could not offer Penny that same level of trust. She couldn't offer her that same level of friendship.
Still, she had to play the role that she could. That's what she was doing here in Vale, after all. Playing a role.
She smiled a sad smile, genuinely grateful that Penny had shared this with her. "Thank you for telling me, Penny."
If nothing else, she would inform Jaune of this, and they would have to be on their guard in the future. They were being watched by a scary man from another kingdom. To what end, she couldn't say. All she knew was that he probably suspected that they were not who they claimed to be.
She may not have been able to offer Penny the truth, but perhaps there was another way to show her friend that she cared for her, and appreciated the bonds that they shared.
Grabbing the small plastic fish bowl she'd set down beside her, Ruby offered it out to Penny. "Here, take these fish!" she insisted, pushing them forward toward Penny's chest and waiting for them to be received.
Penny looked down at the tiny orange forms swimming around. "What for?"
"They're... they're a gift from me to you! Plus..." she continued, her voice softening. "Jaune said we shouldn't keep them because Blake would probably eat them..."
Green eyes lit up with wonder and joy, and Penny eagerly yet tenderly took the bowl from Ruby's hands into her own. "Acquiring fish!" she announced with glee. She held the bowl up at eye level, staring at her newfound friends with wonder and awe. "Hello, little guys. You need not fear. To me fish are friends, and not food."
"Oh really?" Weiss said as she came over to them, fishless. "Then why does that box over there say 'fish food'?" she said, pointing over to a container near the fish tank. "Checkmate."
It was a quandary which Ruby couldn't answer. Thankfully she wouldn't need to, as Jaune came back into sight.
"Sorry about that," he smiled. "I had to shoo away Blake for a little while. Now, where were we?"
"I was just leaving," Penny said, clutching her fish bowl tightly to her chest. "I must prepare a living environment for my newfound friends." She smiled brightly at Ruby. "Thank you again, Rosalyn. This is a truly wonderful gift from my first ever friend!"
Without waiting for a response Penny turned and wandered off. Ruby smiled in turn as she watched the girl leave happier than she'd been when she arrived. Helping others... giving to others... it just felt right to the hybrid girl.
"Well at least that solved the fish conundrum," Jaune said.
Ruby nodded. While it was nice that she'd won all of them in a game of skill, she knew she couldn't keep them even if Blake wasn't an existential threat to them. She had nowhere to house them. No food to feed them. No knowhow of how to take care of them. She wasn't a real human girl after all. Not like Penny.
"We should play another game," Ruby blurted out. "I like games. They're fun."
Jaune smiled that innocent smile of his that always warmed her heart. "Sure. Did you have anything else in mind?"
Ruby spun in place, looking at the nearby booths for something which looked fun. Something caught her eye, and she honed in on the game.
"That one!" she said, pointing at the game where a man was holding a gun and aiming at paper targets.
Yang was the only one among them who used a gun, and Ruby wanted to try one out.
"Let's do it," Jaune agreed readily.
The trio made their way to the next booth, and money was paid for Ruby to get a limited number of shots at the target. She lifted the gun, and its wooden and metal body was heavier than it appeared. Doing as Yang did, she held it one-handed, her arm extended out and pointed at the targets on the other side of the counter.
"That's not how you wanna hold it," Jaune said, coming behind her.
His arms wrapped around her, engulfing Ruby with his warmth as he adjusted the rifle in her hands. His chest pressed against her back. She could feel the warmth of his face radiating on her skin. She was ready to melt in his embrace as he helped her hold the gun properly in both hands with its butt up against her shoulder.
"Just like that," he instructed, still not letting go of her. Ruby felt safe, like all was right in the world, as his arms lingered around her, his hands resting on her stomach.
Here and now, resting in his loving grasp, Ruby felt right. The gun felt right too. Although she'd never used one before, it just felt... natural for her to be aiming a rifle.
"Now close your left eye, and line up your right one with the middle of the target," he spoke softly into her ear.
Did Jaune have any idea what kind of effect he was having on her? This was driving her crazy in the best way possible. Her heart was pounding inside of her chest. Here and now... she felt like she could do anything. Like they could overcome anything.
Like she could hit this target with ease.
Ruby fired, striking the center of the target straight and true. Again and again she fired, and the paper in the middle began to tear away from the small metal pellets being fired. Soon enough she was out of ammunition, but there was now a gaping hole exactly where the middle of the bullseye used to be.
Jaune released his hold on her, and she momentarily felt sad and cold. At least, until the booth owner announced that she'd won a prize.
"I won?" she questioned. "I won!"
"Way to go, Ros," Jaune congratulated her. "You get to pick out a prize now."
Eager silver eyes looked to the back of the booth, where a variety of toys and stuffed animals were on display. One of them in particular caught her eye. One stood out among all others.
"That one," she said, pointing to the shark plushie.
She'd given Jaune a gift when they'd first arrived in Vale. A large, steel heart pendant which he wore underneath his clothes every day. It was a symbol of her love for him. As strong and sturdy as steel.
Now...
"This is for you," she said, holding out the shark for Weiss.
Weiss glanced down at the plushie, then back up to Ruby, and then back to the shark. Tentatively her fingers came up, until in one swift blur she lashed out and snatched it, hugging it closely to her chest.
"Ru...salyn..." she quickly corrected herself. Blue eyes brimmed with tears.
Ruby smiled at her friend's reaction. Jaune wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder, pulling her close and planting a kiss on top of her head.
"That's so sweet of you," he praised.
Ruby just liked to see the people she cared about happy. Judging by Weiss' reaction, she was thrilled. After all, she'd said that she loved sharks. Why not give her a shark that she didn't have to worry about keeping alive or safe from Blake?
Weiss practically leapt at her, almost knocking Ruby over if it hadn't been for Jaune's sturdy arm already around her. "I love it!" Weiss gushed, squeezing Ruby tightly. "I love it I love it I love it! Mr. Chompers and I will get along famously!"
Returning the embrace, Ruby found herself in the middle of a familiar threeway hug with her mate and packmate. What a truly wonderful day and date this was turning out to be.
Telling Jaune what Penny had told her could wait for now. Right now Ruby just wanted to continue to have the best day possible. She wanted to enjoy every single normal, human experience that an abnormal, inhuman girl like her could.
Cool air hit Jaune's face as he opened the door which led onto the dorm room's roof. Night had fallen, but he wasn't tired. With the doubles match tomorrow he wondered how much sleep he would get. The competition would be better, and he still needed to decide which one of the girls he would bring as his partner.
Then again, who was to say he should even be one of the members? Sure he was the leader, and he was the only human among them, but maybe a sisterly team of Yang and Ruby would do well in the tournament. They knew each other better than any other combination on the team. Why wouldn't they? They'd lived their entire lives together. They'd fought together at Salem's academy. Ruby would be able to keep her sister in line. After all, as Yang had said previously, she still had someone she cared about here. She would never put Ruby in danger.
No matter though. That decision could wait. For now he'd received a message from a certain girl who wasn't a member of his team, though she meant no less to him than his teammates.
As Jaune walked on the roof, half afraid of being caught and half exhilarated at being up here at night, he saw her in the distance. Seated on the edge of the building with her legs dangling over the side of it, Blake practically glowed as the moonlight lit up the pure white of her Atlas Academy uniform. Another part of her extensive collection of stolen clothing, no doubt. It clashed harshly with her jet-black hair, and in the darkness of the night she shone all the brighter like a lighthouse on a rocky shore.
Jaune approached her from behind, though she didn't turn to greet him. As he grew closer he saw how her body moved and swayed, her legs gently kicking as they hung off the building. Jaune didn't know if he would have been brave enough to do the same thing.
"Eyes, your eyes. I can see in your eyes, your eyes..." the hybrid practically sang in that dark, sultry voice of hers.
He stood over her now, peering down at the pair of cat ears atop her head. "Blake?"
Finally she turned to look up at him. Golden-yellow eyes glowed in the darkness. "Moonlight reflects in your sight. The night that surrounds you invites radiance."
Jaune tilted his head, not quite knowing what she meant by that. Was it a compliment? He supposed that if it was he should offer one in return.
"Thanks. Your eyes are pretty when they glow too."
Blake hummed. "A part of my faunus heritage. Night vision."
"Ah. That's very useful."
She gently patted the concrete which lined the edge of the roof. The same thick strip on which she sat. "Why don't you have a seat, Jaune?"
Jaune took a look off the side of the building. Although he would probably survive a fall from this moderate height with his Aura, it was still an unpleasant image. He didn't have a fear of heights, but tempting fate like this wasn't at the top of his list of priorities.
Then again, he was with Blake. For all of her... Blakiness, he knew she would never let him fall. He trusted her implicitly. She'd earned that trust.
"Sure," he finally said, taking care to balance himself as he slowly descended down onto the edge of the roof. Not wanting to seem cowardly in comparison to the feline faunus, he hung his legs over the edge too. His hung down lower than her own.
"Now it feels like we're on a date," she practically purred. "It's been far too long since it's been just the two of us. Not since the night..."
Jaune remembered that night all too well. How could he not? It wasn't every day he watched a psychotic serial killer bleed out in an alley.
"Tyrian died," he finished for her.
Blake shook her head. "You saved me," she corrected him.
Her view on that night, and the difference between their answers in general, took Jaune aback. That was certainly a glass half empty versus a glass half full point of view. Jaune felt ashamed that he hadn't thought of her answer, and instead first thought of Tyrian's death. However, as she'd said, he'd held true to his word. When Blake had been pushed over the edge, he'd brought her back. She'd trusted him to do so. She'd believed in him.
"I..." he started, not exactly knowing what he was going to say next. The next words did come quickly and naturally, however. "I'm sorry."
She shook her head once more. "There's no reason to be sorry. We're only here now because of what we had to do then and there. The world is a better place without that man in it. I'm a better girl because I put my trust in you."
The words were so heartfelt and genuine, Jaune could almost not believe it had been Blake who'd uttered them. Sure, out of all of the hybrids she was perhaps the most expressive, but all too often her words came with ambiguity or double meanings. Blake so enjoyed speaking in riddles or veiled threats. Here, there was just pure and simple honesty. Jaune enjoyed that. He enjoyed her.
Blake sighed forlornly. "It's such a shame we don't have any music to add to the ambiance. Shall I make my own?" She tilted her head upward, gazing at the night's sky above. "Dah dah-dah, dah dah-dah, dah dah-dah, dah dah-dah, doooo do-do-dooooo... doooo do-do-dooooo..."
He was certain there was a melody to that which only Blake could hear in her mind, and yet in her soft tone it still sounded nice.
"What song is that?"
Blake shrugged her shoulders as she ceased what she described as singing. "I don't know, but it's pretty, isn't it? Hauntingly beautiful under the moonlight."
"Kind of like you."
The words had just slipped out, but there was no denying the truth to them. Blake was an undeniably beautiful girl. With silky-black hair and piercing golden eyes, she would be the envy of women around her, and the target of men who met her. Sun alone was living proof of that.
Her head turned, giving him a sideways glance while her lips curled into a sly smile. "Ever the charmer, my darling."
Jaune himself chuckled, embarrassed by his sudden but truthful slip of the tongue. "Sorry."
"You shouldn't be. Here we are, alone together. Bathed in the brutal moonlight." She hummed a soft laugh of her own. "Alone together. Those two words together form a beautiful paradox, don't they?"
If they did, they were not the two words which caught Jaune's ear. "Brutal moonlight?" he echoed. "Wouldn't something like... pale moonlight be more romantic?"
"There's nothing more romantic than the truth. Truth is beauty, beauty is truth."
It could be. However... the truth could also be disturbing. All he needed to do was close his eyes and remember the horrors he had witnessed at Salem's academy. Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, those were the laws of nature. Those had been the laws of that school. Were those not universal truths as well? How could one consider that to be beautiful?
"Look at the moon," Blake continued, and Jaune turned to see her gazing up at the sky once more. He joined in with her this time, focusing on the moon as she'd requested. "How its jagged pieces fall away, like a gigantic skull smashed asunder."
Wasn't this supposed to be romantic?
"Like the head of some celestial titan, whose body has long since crumbled away to become the glimmering stars in the sky."
"How poetic," Jaune deadpanned. "Maybe Sun was on the right track with his goth poetry."
Jaune didn't need to turn his head to feel the gaze of Blake fall on him. He swallowed, and yet he knew that she knew what his true emotions betrayed to the hybrid.
"Because I'm in such a good mood I'll forgive the utterance of his name."
He chuckled nervously. "Very generous of you."
"But I am also a very selfish girl," she continued. "One who desires you all to herself. At least at times like these."
Times like these. Blake made her home in the night. She was a creature of shadows. Even without her Grimm hybrid nature, Jaune had seen firsthand her Semblance at work. Her ethereal clones, like shadows in her wake. If Ruby and Weiss were beacons of light who stood in the warm rays of the sun, then Blake was a girl who belonged to the night.
"That's fine," he agreed. "I spent a wonderful day with Ruby and Weiss, and now I can spend a wonderful night with you."
Jaune heard her soft, hissing laughter, barely louder than a whisper. "Careful, my love. You might give a girl the wrong idea of your intentions with her tonight."
He turned to see an innocent expression on Blake's face. He didn't buy it for a minute.
"I'm pretty sure I should be more afraid of your intentions with me," he argued. "I've always just been a fly caught in your web, after all."
"Me? Never," she blatantly lied. "A maiden as pure as I would never think to do anything beyond mere hand holding." Her eyes glanced down at her hand, and then to his, before coming back up. "Though neither of us are wearing protection, it is still a risk I want to take."
"Risk?"
Blake daintily turned her head away, while at the same time held her hand up and out between where the two of them sat. "Would you... care to hold my hand this cool autumn evening, Jaune? I'm afraid my fingers are becoming rather chilly..."
As long as he'd known her, Jaune knew that Blake loved her games. Here she was now, playing the role of some shy, sheltered damsel who was offering up her favor to the man she loved. Jaune had come up here at Blake's request, and he wasn't about to turn down the opportunity to indulge her in her fun.
He smiled, taking her small, soft hand, squeezing it gently in his far larger one. "I'd love to."
Breathing a contented, dreamy sigh, Blake leaned her head against Jaune's shoulder as the two sat together in the moonlight.
"Warm," she whispered. "So very warm."
So was she. Despite the fact that he wore jeans and a hoodie, it was still a cool autumn night. Up this high the wind was worse than normal as well. Having Blake's warm body against his own was as good for him as it was for her.
It was the times like these that he could just forget everything that had happened. He could forget all the troubles on his mind. He could forget that the fate of Beacon Academy rested on his shoulders. That Winter had gone missing. That Qrow was off on some sort of secret mission of his own. That there were so many pieces in play right now, and he was only a novice at the game of chess.
All he could think about right now was the girl at his side, and what he wanted to do with her when they both finally left this place.
"Hey, Blake."
Her head didn't rise when she answered. "Yes?"
"When this is all over, what do you want to do?"
That question prompted her to move. Lifting her head from his shoulder, Blake turned to meet his gaze. Golden-yellow glowed in the moonlight. He wondered if his eyes appeared anything like how she'd described when he'd first arrived.
"Over?" she asked coyly. "What ever do you mean, over?"
"I mean... when we stop Cinder. When we're finally free to get away from this school. When things can finally be normal again."
"Normal," she repeated. Blake hissed a silent laugh, tilting her head as she regarded the man she loved. "As much as I've enjoyed basking in your negativity, I admire your optimism as well. It's refreshingly charming, and one of the things which first drew me to you."
Jaune's grip on her hand tightened, and he shifted his body so that it tilted more towards her. "I believe in us. You, me, and the others too. We're going to stop her because she doesn't know how much we know, and what we've done."
The hybrid's eyebrows rose briefly before she offered her own counterpoint. "True, but who's to say that we don't have vital information of hers? Who knows what else she's done, and is hiding from us?"
While that was true as well, Jaune's original point still stood. He believed in Blake. She'd already been so helpful up to this point, and he believed that there was nothing she couldn't do when it came to thwarting Cinder and her plans.
"Well you've been a great spy. I couldn't have done it all without you."
Blake hummed. "While your faith in me is moving, I'm afraid I only know what she'd done on campus. I can't say what else she has planned off of it."
That was a harsh truth which Jaune hadn't considered. He'd been so thrilled with the virus she'd planted in Beacon's CCT tower being found that didn't even consider that Cinder might have other tricks up her sleeve.
He looked away dejectedly. "Yeah. I guess you're right."
Blake's hand squirmed out of his grip, but found its way onto his face immediately afterward. She cupped his cheek gently, leaning her face in closer to him.
"Don't do that," she whispered gently. "I don't wish to feast on your depression right now."
Words as disturbing as those could only be normal coming from a Grimm hybrid. They only had such literal meaning from a girl like Blake.
"Sorry."
She breathed a small sigh. "However, there is something which must be said."
"What's that?"
He felt her fingers softly tug at his chin to turn toward her. "Look at me."
When he did, Jaune saw that Blake's visage had changed. Staring back at him was not the dark and alluring faunus beauty, but rather the white-skinned, red-eyed Grimm hybrid. Blake veins ran down her skin, and jagged teeth filled a mouth which had done everything from shoving her tongue down his throat, to licking his bloody wounds clean.
The sight of her here under the moon's light did nothing to affect his mood. It did nothing to change his feelings or his mindset. All he saw when he stared back at Blake was a girl he had fallen for.
"We'll never be normal again," she declared with solemn finality. "Not me. Not Ruby, Weiss, or Yang. This is who we are now."
Where others might have seen monsters, or creatures of Grimm which needed to be exterminated, Jaune only saw a girl. He nodded grimly, but smiled through it.
"And I love you for who you are and what you've become," he assured her. "I've never known you any other way. This is normal to me."
He hoped that sounded sensitive and sincere. He meant every word of it. The Blake who was sitting here now was the Blake he'd first met. She was the Blake he'd fallen for. She was the Blake who'd helped him survive that school all those months ago.
"But for me?" she responded. "It wasn't more than a year ago that I was just another faunus girl. A stupid girl who ran away from a loving home with silly ideals in her heart and not a rational thought in her brain. What an utter fool I was."
Unfortunately there were no sweet words or reassurances Jaune could offer Blake. This was the truth, but contrary to what she'd said earlier, there was no beauty in it.
"You regret it," he stated, rather than asked.
She nodded gravely. "Yes."
He nodded in turn. "I'm sorry."
"I made my choice. Now I must live with it."
Jaune felt his chest tighten at those words. "You didn't choose..." he trailed off, feeling the anger rising in him. The hate. The vitriol. "This, though. She did."
He couldn't even give utterance to the name of that wretched creature. A being he couldn't even call a woman because it would put her on the same level as actual women like Blake and the others. No, what that creature was, was a monster. One whom he hated with all of his heart.
Blake offered another soft laugh, but this one lacked humor. "Careful, love. Your negativity is going to drive me wild if you continue with such hateful thoughts. I can't be held responsible for what I do to you if you tempt me so."
He wanted to rein it in. He wanted to control himself, but when it came to thoughts like these, he couldn't help but utterly despise Salem and what she'd done to those poor, innocent people. The living and the dead.
"I made my choice," Blake repeated. "And this is the monster I've become. The monster I must now live as. Perhaps I was always a monster on the inside. One who resorted to violence and terrorism to get what I wanted. Only now, I merely resemble on the outside who I was inside all along."
Jaune shook his head in an instant. "No. I don't believe that for a second. You may have done some bad things in the past, but who hasn't? I don't believe that makes you a bad person. And you're nothing like her."
She hummed amusingly. "Says the boy who never knew the real me. The righteous freedom fighter in the White Fang."
Taking hold of Blake's hand once more, Jaune held onto her tightly as he continued. "I know you now though. Your looks may have changed, but I don't believe your heart has. You saved my life plenty of times. A monster wouldn't have done that."
"Only for my own selfish desires," she countered.
"You still saved me though. If you were really heartless you wouldn't have cared about me at all. You could have found someone new. I believe you're good. I believe you're someone who deserves forgiveness. And love. And all the good things in the world."
He believed his words with all of his heart. Blake, along with the other girls, deserved nothing but happiness. Peace. Love. Each and every one of them. They deserved to be reunited with their families. Winter and Qrow would only be the start. They all needed to see their parents once more. Those poor people needed to know that the children who had been lost years ago were still alive. They needed to be families again.
"If that's true, will you indulge this selfish girl once more then?"
Peering into the red eyes of the hybrid, Jaune's voice was steady and true when he answered. "Anything."
"Kiss me."
Moving without hesitation, Jaune mirrored Blake's own actions from earlier. Releasing his hold on her hand, he cupped Blake's cheek and gently tilted it to the side. At the same time tilted his own, and moved in to press his lips against hers. Warmly. Gently. Lovingly.
The cold of the night faded as Blake wrapped her arms around him. In that loving embrace which he'd learned to love months earlier, Jaune and Blake shared a sweet and simple, yet passionate kiss on the rooftop in the moonlight. It was the stuff dreams were made of. A cliche born of a romance novel. Yet for the two of them it was the truth, and it was beautiful.
After what seemed like an eternity the two separated, and Jaune saw that Blake's image had changed back to her faunus self. Blake hair framed her pale skin, and golden eyes bore into his as the two sat mere inches apart from each other.
Blake sighed dreamily, glancing away from him as she spoke. "When this is all over then... let's go somewhere far away."
When. Perhaps he'd been able to win her over to his side then? Or maybe she was just playing the role of the optimist for his sake?
No matter. He would do more than play along, because he believed it too.
"Any ideas?" he wondered.
"Menagerie," she stated. "I must... right many wrongs I have committed."
Jaune wasn't sure exactly what those might be, but considering what she'd said earlier, perhaps one of those was the need to reconcile with her family.
"We'll do that then," he readily agreed. "We can go to Menagerie. All of us. We'll stay there."
Her eyebrows rose incredulously. "Will we now?"
The more he thought about it, the better of an idea it sounded like. "Yeah. I can't think of anywhere else you'll be accepted for how you look. We could say... you're albino faunuses or something. With horn traits."
After all, that was what Jaune had believed Ruby to be the first time he set eyes on her. It was the perfect cover. Blake, Ruby, Weiss, Yang, they were all just albino faunus. With white skin and red eyes, who would ever think otherwise? Why wouldn't they be accepted by their own kind?
Blake, to his surprise, laughed. Not her typical soft hissing laughter either. She laughed loudly and heartily, shocking Jaune with her reaction.
She linked an arm around his, pulling herself close to him as she once more rested her head against his shoulder. "Your casual, ignorant racism makes my heart race, darling," she finally managed to say when she'd stopped herself from laughing.
A chill ran down Jaune's spine. Was that what she'd taken from his idea? Was that how he'd come off?
"Wait! I- I wasn't trying to-"
Blake pushed herself off of him, silencing his protests with a single finger to his lips. "Shhh. It's okay. You're just a silly little human, after all." Her head tilted, and she smiled at him like a parent correcting her naive child. "How could you possibly understand what it means to be faunus, let alone a hybrid?"
"I was just trying to-"
"I know," she said, cutting him off once more. "And that's just one of the many reasons I love you, Jaune."
As far as foot-in-mouth experiences went, this one had a particularly happy ending.
Blake snuggled up next to Jaune, basking in his warmth as well as his uneasy emotions. Truly an appetizing array of delectable delights for the Grimm-faunus hybrid.
Wrapping an arm around her waist, Jaune held Blake tightly as he stared up at the moon once more. Its crumbling pieces hung suspended in the sky by some unseen force. He wondered how it had come to be. He wondered how something so shattered and broken could hold itself together as closely as it did.
The shattered and broken girl he held in his arms offered no answers.
Author's Note: I had originally planned to include another important scene here, but this ran a lot longer than I thought it would. Guess I gotta save it for chapter 42!
A lot of lighthearted fun this chapter, and then a lot of the Blake dialogue I've come to love writing. Some serious subjects were touched on, but this was mostly just an in-between events chapter.
My thanks go out to those in my Discord server for helping with ideas for the date. Penny in particular is great, because her voice actress loves betta fish and has an entire Youtube channel dedicated to them. Seriously, I'm not even interested in fish, but I could just listen to her talk about them because she is Penny in these videos. So while this was very much an Abridged Android 16 allusion, it also has real life inspiration.
Hopefully you all enjoyed it. As always, thanks for reading.