Site obviously went crazy but it's back on. I updated Saturday's chapter this morn.

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If the site goes down forever I'd obviously find somewhere new to post but I'll definitely put an update on my p a tr eon so people can see where, etc. Anyway, let's hope the site keeps going without problems.

Cover Art: Solace O'Autumn

Chapter 32

There was enthusiastic applause as Jaune finished his first set, raised his hand and smiled at the modest audience he'd accrued. The casino was busy and loud, with far too much going on in the other parts of it to draw a big audience. Still, he'd filled out the restaurant and people who looked like they would have left had stayed for more drinks to listen to him play.

The bar staff were happy about it, bringing in extra tips and making him whatever he wanted for free. He'd also seen the manager giving him a thumbs up, which was enough for Jaune to know he was doing a good job.

Better yet, he'd done it without using his skills to cheat.

Sure, his Semblance was cheating as well, in a way, but he had to learn the music and play it on his own, whereas Motivational Song would have hammered positive vibes into their heads. This felt a lot more like an achievement, even if it wasn't enough to earn him a single point in Charisma.This modest crowd of some hundred or so people was nothing compared to the millions who watched and rewatched Guitar Cutie's videos. And the many more who had downloaded it to play on the way into work, during the lunchbreaks at school, or even to remix it into other videos online.

He wasn't sure if the latter still counted for the sake of his Semblance and stat growth, but the sheer range of people playing his music meant there was a steady trickle of updates. He'd been in Vacuo three days and gained two points in Charisma without doing anything, just feeling them trickle in every now and then.

"Hey there, handsome." Carmine slipped onto the stool next to him with a saucy wink. "That wasn't bad at all. Maybe I should invite you to my place for a private performance." Jaune flushed red, and she burst out laughing, immediately losing the seductive look and flagging down a drink.

That was Carmine in a nutshell. She had the worst traits of his sisters when it came to teasing, and her favourite method was to flaunt her looks and body to try and rile him up. It always worked, too. He was no stranger to beautiful women after travelling like he had, but he was a stranger to them coming onto him so strong. He didn't think she was actually interested, however.

.

Carmine Esclados

Lv. 33

Former huntress of Shade Academy and now a registered huntress, Carmine works alongside her former team under the CROWN organisation. Flirtatious and teasing, Carmine delights in getting under people's skin.

.

His Semblance made it a little too easy to tell she wasn't serious about him. That and the fact he'd also seen and heard her trying to get a rise out of another guy, Bert or something, who was a huntsman in security as well. The "Crown" organisation might have been the company running the casino, or it might have been a criminal group as his quest had alluded to before.

Neither of which mattered. He'd always known Vacuo had a criminal underbelly running a lot of places, so learning one was running this casino wasn't a big deal. If they even were criminals. They might just be a business running a shady casino that was twisting the odds to make more money. You could be illegally running a business without being some criminal empire.

As huntresses went, she wasn't the strongest he'd ever met. It felt odd given she was, to the best of his knowledge, around twenty-four years old. That was older than Pyrrha and Cinder and yet she wasn't showing much growth for it.

Maybe it was because she took a job working security in a casino rather than going out and fighting Grimm. His father did nothing but the latter and was a ridiculously high level, the same as Qrow Branwen. Carmine must have stagnated, perhaps wanting a safer life for herself.

It wasn't really any of his business.

"Is my face so pretty that you stare so much?" she teased. "Or are you looking for the right words to get me into bed?"

Jaune flushed again. He wanted to push back, accuse her of teasing him or saying that she was all bark and no bite. Except that Carmine might just be competitive enough to respond to that in kind, and he knew he was going to lose a game of chicken if she actually started taking clothes off.

Though there were definitely worse fates than that.

"Maybe I'm just trying to figure out why you're so desperate as to come onto me," he replied. "Things not going well with Bert?"

Carmine stared at him, then burst out laughing. "Oh fuck!" she gasped, wiping at her eye. "That was a good one. Nice try, too, but Bertilak isn't my boyfriend. Big lug is way too boring for me. I just like watching him squirm." Carmine reached out and brushed a thumb over Jaune's bottom lip, making him freeze. "Same as you."

Cursing, he pulled away, annoyed at his own reaction while Carmine laughed again. "Yeah, yeah, you can get a rise out of a sixteen-year-old. That's not exactly a big victory for you."

"Hmmm." Carmine sipped her cocktail. Though Jaune wasn't technically meant to, he had one of his own. The staff here didn't seem to care. "The age thing is an issue," she said. "You're pretty cute, though. If you were eighteen I might have popped your cherry already."

"W—What makes you think I'm a virgin?"

"Pft. Yeah, I wonder what makes me think that." Carmine snorted into her drink. "But, yeah, shame. You know, there are a few customers who have expressed interest in you as well. But you do look young, so they've come to us asking how old you are."

Jaune gulped. "Seriously?"

"Hmhm. Not even teasing you here. You know we run some dancers downstairs, and Vacuo does have a pretty active sex industry. We don't run that here, and we make sure all our dancers are legal, but it's not uncommon for wealthy guests to petition one of them. Offer them a little if they want to spend time with them. We don't encourage or discourage it, though we make it clear you back off if they say no. You being sixteen, we've had to make it clear you're no-go territory."

Wow.

Jaune didn't know whether he should be worried or flattered by that kind of attention. Probably more on the worried side, since a lot of the women he'd seen here were quite a bit older than him. Then again, if they were just looking for one night of passion then he supposed they would book fit, young men.

"Do I need to worry outside of here?"

"Nahhh, not really. You might get some girls asking if you're looking for a good time but tell them your age and they'll back off. Most, anyway." Carmine clicked her tongue. "Bound to be some freaks into that sort of thing, but we don't put up with them here." She laughed. "Luckily, none of your paramours have made that claim yet. Most have just been a little disappointed at your age and let it be."

"Most?"

Carmine smirked. "The others fled in absolute embarrassment after realising they've been lusting over a teenager. Funnily enough, none of them have come back to listen to you play. Imagine that."

Yeah, imagine that. He didn't think there was anything wrong in guessing his age as older, not when his Semblance made him look more... well, just more. Jaune knew he was tall for his age as it was, and the casino had set him up with a fitted black suit with tie. That helped make him look more professional as well and coupled in with him working in a casino and drinking alcohol, most people were going to assume he was closer to twenty than not.

"Did they run because they were embarrassed or because you mocked and taunted them and drove them away?" he asked. Carmin's smile grew. "I knew it! Should you really be costing the casino customers?"

"Ah, we're doing fine. Besides, you're drawing more in. When's your next set?"

"Forty-five minutes."

"Mmmm. I'll be here for it. Dedicate a romance song to me."

"No."

"How about I flash you while you're concentrating?"

"Don't do that either!" he snapped. "Besides, you won't. You're all bark."

Carmine smirked. "Trying to play on my ego so I'll show you my tits? Sorry, but I could get in trouble whipping them out in public. They'll just have to stay in your fantasies."

Damn.

/-/

Meera's grandmother was an evil old woman who could have curdled milk just by looking at it. With a face full of wrinkles, each one frowning, she declared that Jaune's music was "acceptable enough, barely" to afford him a 50% discount on breakfast and lunch, but only if he did ninety minutes of playing each day for them.

It wasn't like he needed the money but that was a painfully raw deal when he was secretly the most famous guitarist on Remnant. Living, anyway, though there were people claiming Guitar Cutie might have eclipsed the legends.

That really didn't feel right when he was covering their songs.

"See?" said Meera. "I told you he played good music."

"Good?" The old woman waved her wrinkly, prune of a hand. "He play acceptable. No more. If you think this good, how you ever run hotel? Eh? How you ever find good man if settle so easy? Your mother settle for bad man. Look what happen!"

"Dad was the eleventh richest man in Vacuo..."

"See! Not even top ten." The old woman covered her eyes with her arm. "Oh, my sweet Natya. Why you settle for such a man? Why you no listen to your mama?" The arm came down and she pointed at Meera. "Next you be sneaking into this foreigner's room!"

"Grandmother!"

"I know how is. Foreign man, blond hair, blue eyes, fancy talk. He no good for you, Meera."

"Jaune and I aren't dating!"

"See! He leave you with baby and not even date!"

Jaune politely pretended he'd come down with a case of deafness as Meera panicked and tried to stop her grandma talking nonsense. And that he couldn't hear himself being insulted so casually. Meera's grandmother was certainly not afraid to speak her mind, that was for sure.

"I'm so sorry about her!" Meera groaned to him after the woman had gone, but not without making a gesture at her eyes and then to Jaune, telling him she was watching his every move. "Please, please forget everything she just said – and don't listen to anything she does say. Grandma means well but she's never been the same since mom and dad died."

"You did mention she was demanding."

Meera laughed awkwardly. "I'm at the age where I should be moving out but she keeps telling me I'm not good enough to look after myself. I think it's her way of not wanting to lose me as well, so I play along."

"It must make things hard."

"Eh, it's not so bad. There are people with worse stories here. Dad left us the hotel and a lot of money to support ourselves with. Grandma liked him too at the time, it's just that it was his idea to go on the holiday where he and mom died, so she blames him a little. But only a little. She's an old woman and doesn't always realise how what she says can hurt people." Meera coughed and looked aside. "Or embarrass them when they're talking to a customer."

"YOU BLUSHING!" the old woman shouted, poking her head out the kitchen. "WHAT HE SAY TO MAKE YOU BLUSH!?"

"He didn't say anything, grandma!"

"He speak with his eyes? You no listen! No man raise family on guitar alone!"

"He's not my man!" she shouted back. "And I'm not pregnant!"

"Not pregnant, she say." The old woman clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "All man say can pull out, your grandfather say that too, but you not know for nine months! Big surprise, he no pull out in time and I have Natya! How you know?"

"I know because he hasn't been inside me in the first place!" Meera howled back, then froze as she realised he was still there. "Ahah." Her dark face turned even darker. "I'm... um... I'm going to go work the kitchen. Bye!"

Jaune didn't get the chance to respond before she'd fled, though he did hear raised voices and much arguing from the kitchen. Horrible as it was, it was nice to not be the target of teasing for once.

/-/

Jaune felt genuine fear as he looked at himself in the mirror.

A beautiful young woman looked back at him, blinking shyly, her hair soft and gently curled by the irons he'd borrowed from Saphron. His makeup was minimal, mostly because he didn't really know how to apply it, but that didn't matter. His Charisma filled in the blanks and made them not matter in the slightest.

His eyes shone brightly, his lashes looked thicker, and his lips somehow just a little redder, though that might have had something to do with the fact he was biting his bottom lip.

Her bottom lip. Might as well start thinking in character.

"Right, I'm..." Jaune winced. Despite hisSemblance making his face and body look pretty, his voice was very much still his own, and sounded really jarring coming from such a pretty girl.

There's a reason I don't talk on videos. Guess I'll have to play up the mute angle.

Now all he needed to do was be seen. Not here at the hotel obviously, that'd be a terrible idea. All he needed was to draw people away from Argus, not to draw them exactly to where he was staying. Luckily, he could wear a coat and hood covering his face on the way out the hotel, and if anyone saw him then he'd just speak and they would know who he was. Or who he wasn't. Guitar Cutie needed to be seen on the other side of the city.

Which meant he'd need to make his way there – probably not too hard – be seen, then make his way back safely.

Which was the hard part depending on how many people saw him.

Maybe none is the best answer. All I need to do is record myself next to a recognisable landmark in Vacuo. I can then have Terra and Saphron post it online like it's some thank you video.

That was perfect. If he waved and mouthed "thank you" then people wouldn't think it suspicious, but the internet would do what it did best and dig into every pixel, realising he was in Vacuo from the backdrop and concluding he – or she – lived there. It was the perfect plan.

And, ironically enough, mid-afternoon was the perfect moment for it.

Night was alive in Vacuo. Bars, casinos, clubs, brothels. It was a city of pleasure and hedonistic delights where people slept through the day and came out in the evening, so mid-afternoon would actually be quite empty. Better yet, mid-afternoon was still warm enough that a lot of people wore headwraps and cloths to provide shade. Nothing would look out of place if he did the same.

With a final deep breath, Jaune picked up his guitar and slung it over his back – not overly worried about it being connected to him later. This brand and make were now the most popular in Remnant thanks to Guitar Cutie, so most people would just assume he was one of an ever-growing legion of fans. The important part was covering his face, neck and shoulders and pulling his curled hair back so no one would see his disguise.

His outfit was androgynous by design, no skirts here in Vacuo with all the sand, but a pair of tight jeans and a shirt without padding. He had some pads in his pocket he could slip in to mimic a bosom. A small one, of course, but it was better than the socks Nora had stuffed into one of her bras the first time around.

Meera was working the desk on his way out and waved him goodbye without looking, too busy on her scroll. The security nodded politely but didn't look his way, more focused on keeping bad people from coming in than customers from heading out. Similarly, the small number of people on the streets had places to be and paid no attention to him. Jaune, or Guitar Cutie, stepped out into Vacuo.

And the city was none the wiser.

It was almost an anticlimax given how much he'd worked himself up into a stress about all this. Almost, but not quite. Jaune was relieved it was this simple, as he picked his way through Vacuo toward one of its most famous monuments, the Liberator's Spire. It was some tall plinth that had been erected in honour of a warrior who had, legends said, challenged an evil king's rule and been executed on that very spot. The act had sparked revolution, and he'd been lauded as a hero posthumously.

There were a few people there when Jaune arrived, but that didn't worry him. Filming at its base wouldn't be that good an idea since viewers would struggle to figure out what it was. Better to film further away, with it poking up obviously in the background. As such, he began walking in slowly expanding circles out from it, looking for a quiet area to film in that'd have an unobstructed view.

The main roads were out because of the foot traffic, and a shopping area was a bad idea for the same reason. The walls were crumbling in places and not safe to walk on, but the area around their base wasn't so bad. There, in the shade from the wall, no one had set up shop or home, too afraid the sandstone might weather one day and crash down atop them. Jaune plodded around there for a few minutes just to see if anyone came by, but although some people walked past, there was nothing to draw them there.

It's perfect. Shaded, away from the crowds, and if I face the wall and hold my scroll looking back on me, it should show the spire over my left shoulder. Jaune checked, just to be sure, taking a quick photo of himself with his headwrap on. Sure enough, the spire was visible, sticking up like a middle finger to his selfie.

Perfect.

With a quick look around to make sure no one was looking, Jaune pulled off his hood and let his hair fall free, then bit his lip and angled his scroll back towards himself. Would it be enough to smile and make a cute face, or should he play a song? It'd probably be enough without it if the video was posted on his account, but it couldn't hurt to let them see the guitar for added proof.

With the video recording, Jaune smiled and waved at the camera, then held up two fingers in a peace sign. For good measure, he – as a she – slowly turned around so people could get a good view of Vacuo, then winked and mouthed out a "thank you" with obvious lip movements.

It'd go wild online once it was posted, and it was a lot easier than he expected it to be. Easy enough that he felt just a little confident in popping the scroll down on the floor, leaning back on the wall, and taking a few steps back to slip his guitar around. Sure, it wasn't strictly necessary, but it wouldn't cost him more than thirty seconds of strumming the strings.

With a smile, feeling a lot more confident now he was playing the guitar and not having to pose like an internet model, Jaune jumped into the new song from Vacuo he'd been practicing at the casino's request.

And got halfway through when a hooded urchin darted by, snatched his scroll and fled.

"…!"

Jaune jumped and waved his arms in a panic, instantly giving chase. Why or how he kept to his disguise and stayed silent rather than screaming "thief!" in a masculine voice, he didn't know, maybe it was a subconscious thing.

Or maybe he just knew no one would intervene to help him anyway.

The kid was quick, but Jaune had longer legs, and all those points slapping into Constitution had apparently not been wasted because he could tell he was handling the sprint a whole lot better than he would have been able to before. Less so the ducking and weaving between stalls, parkour over low walls, sliding under overhangs and the sudden climb up a six-foot wall to a new plaza, but he was keeping up – barely. The thief knew the area well but was probably used to running away from civilian tourists who wouldn't dare chase for fear of getting in trouble.

Which was a real possibility, Jaune realised, as he sprinted into an alleyway and skidded to a stop in front of six other boys. The thief was there, panting with his hands on his knees.

Ah crap…

Jaune's fingers fell to his guitar strings without realising it. It was a nervous gesture, but it served to spark his memory. He could actually use it offensively in some small measure, namely due to Discordant Song. It had sent a high-level terrorist running, and none of these kids were higher than level 10 according to their bios. It should be enough to panic them.

The only problem was they might run with his scroll and then if they cracked it open – which the internet suggested was very easy – they'd find pictures of Jaune Arc in there. It'd be just his cosmic luck if people decided Guitar Cutie was the one cross-dressing and Jaune Arc was the fake, but the ironic twist wouldn't matter much. He'd still be linked to her and then stalked across Remnant by his fans.

He needed that scroll back.

And to maybe buy a second that could serve as Guitar Cutie's and not have any incriminating family photos in it.

"Now, now," said one of the boys. "You should know better than to follow young boys into alleys, miss. Should have let the scroll go. Now we've got trouble."

"Boss, wait," whispered another. "Isn't that… Isn't that Guitar Cutie!?"

Jaune flinched.

"Don't be stupid. What'd she be doing out here? Some cosplay lookalike." The first shook his head. "Right. Hand over your money and you can walk out of here. We don't need no fights or trouble, and you can go home, close your bank card accounts and get on with life. We're a few lien richer, you get to go home, and everyone is happy. Okay?"

Hesitantly, Jaune pointed at the scroll, and even pulled out his wallet and showed the money within it, offering a trade. The money could be earned back, especially with his new job, but that scroll was priceless.

Mostly in terms of the damage it could cause.

"A trade?" The boy laughed. "Why shouldn't we have both? Hand it over—"

"Well, well, well…" A man's voice spread through the alley as a shadow fell over Jaune from behind. He flinched, but the man walked past him, idly holding a hand clasping a staff out as if to protect him from harm. "If it isn't Roderik and his little gang. You muscling in on our turf now?"

Two other boys appeared at Jaune's end of the alleyway.

Oh goodie, he thought. I'm in the middle of a Vacuan gang war!

Between kids, sure, but the fact the so-called Roderik and his friends drew knives didn't mean they were harmless.

"This isn't your turf, Wukong!"

"Ah, but she was on our turf before you lured her away. And I was wanting to hear her play. Interrupting a young lady's fun is rude, you know."

The man with the staff glanced back, tan skin and blue eyes beneath messy hair. He smiled, bright white teeth shining handsomely.

"Don't you worry, miss. You're in good hands. I'll get back your…"

Then he took her in. Saw her. Recognised her. The man's face – though he was really more of a boy Jaune's age on second look – fell into absolute shock, eyes widening and eyebrows rising.

"Hah—?"

Then, to Jaune's utter horror, the handsome boy blushed.

He fucking blushed.

"G—Guitar Cutie…?"

Helplessly, Jaune smiled and waved his fingers.

"I—I'll get your scroll back!" he squeaked, snapping her a manic salute and an even crazier smile, all flustered admiration and awe. "You leave it to Sun Wukong, Miss Cutie! I'll have you out of trouble in no time!"

"We ain't afraid of you this time, Wukong!" Roderik shouted. "We got ourselves a secret weapon!"

The two boys with Sun swore as a much older man appeared behind Roderik, a scarred and armed man who Jaune's Semblance worryingly informed him was Lvl. 22, a whole two levels above Sun's Lvl.20. Tha man, who might have once been a huntsman, or just a career criminal, brandished a pair of spiked knuckle dusters, and leered at Jaune from a distance.

"Pretty lady, eh?" he said. "You mind if I have some fun with her once this boy is dealt with?"

Damn you, Charisma. Damn you to hell.

"Like I'd let you touch her!" Sun shouted, having no idea the danger he was in. He flew forward, meeting the crook head on.

Knowing his own safety was on the line, Jaune swore under his breath and let his fingers pluck the first cord. Sun might not be able to handle this alone, but he wasn't technically alone.

All he needed was a little boost.

Next Chapter: 21st July

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