Apparently I don't know what 'complete' means, because I just had to go and write this section.

X

The crisp air of November was flowing into RWBY's dorm room. It felt nice, but Blake paid it no attention. It was time for her-

Well, she didn't want to say fix, but being objective about it she didn't have many better words. For months now she had been paying Jaune to be her personal storyteller. At first they'd argued about how much she should pay: she wanted to pay more, he said less was best. They came to an accord, and now she got to hear her favorite stories retold in a new way twice a week. This weekend would be different, however.

As she began walking to the library in her casual clothes, she pulled out her scroll to read the message from Jaune.

[No paying me today. Instead of starting on that new series you asked for, I have a special reading I'd like to do for you.]

Blake had to confess to being intrigued. Jaune had yet to suggest his own story for their readings, so this would be the first time. She smiled just a little, excited by the possibilities.

She deftly climbed up the steps to their 'secret' spot, happy to see Jaune already present and waiting in his personal cushion. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Jaune had a mysterious little smile on his face as he responded. In his lap was a rather small book with a blue cloth cover on it. "I hope you're ready for this one, Blake."

In a quieter voice, one not meant to be heard, she could hear mumble, "I hope I'm ready for this."

How very curious, indeed. "Do I get to hear the name of this special story?"

"Nope. You get to sit here and close your eyes, just like always."

Blake let out a soft snort, but obliged and fell into her own cushion. Regulating her breathing, she let her body weight sink in as she shut out the world in anticipation for his reading. "I will say," he continued. "The whole thing is in a diary format, but I don't think you'll mind that part."

"Not at all. Read on, Jaune."

She heard him take a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself. When he began to read, his voice had dropped a fair bit deeper below his normal speaking tone. It was solemn, but firm.

"To myself,

These are the writings of a soldier. I am one of a squad, and while I am hardly unique in my talents, I can confidently say that I am blessed. My allies are hardy and true friends, and while I would love little more than to sing their praises true, in the name of security I must identify all I know by code and nicknames. For the sake of these pages, I shall refer to myself as Howl. I am Human, not Faunus, but someone once told me that I am as loyal as a well-bred dog. Somehow, I quite like that."

Blake's mind conjured up the image of a man preparing for war, writing in his journal as he readied himself for the next day's battle. Without physical descriptors it was odd to figure out his appearance, so she eventually settled on him having short, brown hair. No, blond.

"My squad mates are a man we shall call Mon, and two women I dub Copper and Boom. I would give my life for them, and they for me, but they are not the ones I will likely spend most of my ink writing about. No, that honor belongs to none other than my Lady. Goodness, I can't even seem to find a name to address her by. Perhaps Bell? Yes, Lady Bell.

Lady Bell and I are not lovers. Instead, she employs me to do things for her in my spare time; some of which I do very well, indeed. My time tonight grows short, for my squad calls me to attention. Allow me to just add that of all I consider dear to me, Lady Bell is the most intriguing.

Until I write next,

Howl."

Lady? Nobility, it seems to her. One with the coin available to hire a soldier as an errand boy… or would it be an assassin, as this tale continued? Also, this soldier's writing was very lofty, for some reason; perhaps he was of nobility, too.

"To myself,

Lady Bell's friends discovered our arrangement quite quickly when we began. This concerned me at first, believing that they would mock one of us for money changing hands in such a way; but while they teased and prodded for the hows and whys, they were magnanimous enough to leave things be without excessive intervention. My own squad does not understand either, but cared little provided that I did not divulge the secrets of our unit. I would never do such a thing, of course, and am happy that they believe so as well.

Copper once asked if I held affection for Lady Bell. I told her no, as it would be improper to hold such feelings, but I confess to you that I honestly do not know how to… process her. Some meetings I am able to keep my mind and hands steady, doing my tasks as instructed without issue. Other times, I find myself staring at her ebony hair with wonder, lost in the scent of her as she passes by."

Ah, a classic. The soldier slowly falls in love with his black-haired employer, an affection often forbidden by station or circumstance. She must be quite beautiful.

"One day I shall know exactly what this arrangement means to me. In the meantime, I shall be happy so long as all those around me are happy. Until next I write, Howl."

"To myself,

I reread my prior two entries before beginning this one, and I was shocked to discover how much my vocabulary had improved from years prior. You would not know it just from hearing me speak, for I am a simple man born in a farmer's paradise on the frontier. I stammer, am often uncertain of myself, and quite frankly, am not popular. Perhaps if I spoke the way I wrote, I would find myself- No, nevermind."

Howl was self-conscious about himself. Not an unfamiliar concept to her, or likely any teenager for that matter. Her mind now showed an image of this mystery man reviewing his own writing and being perplexed by it, tilting his head like the dogs he had accepted being named after.

"Lady Bell held my hand today."

Oh? Oh ho.

"I do not believe it to have been a conscious act, at least for the moment. We were both exhausted from the day, and after she handed me my wages while we sat near each other, I found that her now empty hand had remained attached to mine. She never addressed the action, or even looked down on it physically, so it might even have been something as simple as her hand being cold and my own being warm. My face certainly was."

And now Howl had, at the very least, a certified crush. The blond soldier with a face flushing just the faintest amount with pink as he discovered his blossoming love. It was enough to bring a smile to her face.

"I can scarcely believe that I have been in her employ for two months now, at least outside of my normal duties. Had you asked me one year ago if I was likely to look forward to seeing her day after day, I would have said 'well why not, she is a friend.' A passive enjoyment, one that has changed to actively searching for her with my eyes. I must go. Until next I write, Howl."

Suddenly, Jaune's voice went much higher in pitch and energy. "To Howl, Hi!"

The shift caught Blake off guard so completely that she laughed, covering her mouth with one hand as she opened her eyes to look at Jaune. "Really, Jaune?"

Jaune chuckled as he held up the book while keeping its content out of view. "It's in the book, I swear! It'll make sense in a second, promise."

"Sure, I'll believe you for now." They both settled back into their cushions, Blake closing her eyes once more as Jaune slipped back into Howl's voice.

"To myself,

As you can see, squadmate Boom found this journal the other day. She read it all, not even realizing it was mine at first; apparently, she thought it belonged to Mon due to how it was written. Thankfully, her teasing was kept to a minimum, but only because she decided to start giving me advice.

It is clear to me now, and even more so to Boom, that my feelings for Lady Bell have turned firmly into ones of Like or Love. She sat me down and we talked for some time, and I thanked her for it afterwards. Truly, sometimes all we need to reach the truth is a little outside perspective."

Boom sounded like a nosy roommate if Blake was being honest, but at least things worked out okay. It's certainly true that everyone needs a second opinion from time to time.

"I have fallen for Lady Bell, completely so. Time not spent with her is instead used longing for her presence, even in the midst of my duties.

Do we have much in common? Perhaps, perhaps not. The only thing I know for certain we share is a love for stories and seafood. Even the way I write has been infected by her… I see that now quite sharply. But I wish to know more of her, and for her to know more of me. I wish to talk endlessly, until the stars have lit up the sky and beyond. Is it selfish of me to want more? To want her attention? If she feels the same, she certainly does a good job of hiding it behind her books. What dangerous games I play, desiring her. Until next I write, Howl."

Did Lady Bell play with Howl's heart knowingly, Blake wondered. Did she even know of her effect on the man?

Jaune took another deep, steadying breath. To her fine ears, it seemed he was readying himself for something quite difficult.

"To whomever is reading these pages,"

Oh no.

"My squad has been assigned a long-term mission. It begins in three days as of writing this, and could last anywhere from a week to two depending on the circumstances. We cannot fail, for failure would mean death for us and for those we will be protecting.

I have a secret to divulge. Of the money that Lady Bell has given me, the only amount of it I've spent has been in buying the very paper I write on right now. Boom, after hearing this, suggested that perhaps the rest of the money could qualify as some type of dowry. I laughed, and am certain that Lady Bell would as well at the idea, but it did give me inspiration.

I will use the money I've earned to dine with her tomorrow. I will invite her with full intent on it being a date, not some simple time together as friends. If she accepts, she will make me the happiest man on the continent.

Except perhaps for my father. With how many children he's sired, surely the love he shares with my mother is endless in the truest meaning."

Blake chuckled.

"This will be my final entry before my mission, and while I am confident that we shall be victorious, there's a part of me that wants to be resolute in doing all I can before departing. To that end, I shall close this journal with my true name. Wish me luck, in battle and in romance.

In the hopes that I may write again,

Jaune 'Howl' Arc."

Her eyes opened up slowly as she processed everything. She dared not breathe while Jaune shuffled in his seat, and after a moment he said simply, "Blake."

She turned her head to face him. Jaune was a little pink in the neck, and he was holding out a pamphlet to her. "There's, uh, a new restaurant opening just off the docks today. Will you go with me?"

Without a word she accepted it and began to read. It advertised a relaxing atmosphere with lovely seafood. By the pictures it looked lovely, of course, but only time would tell for the food being good.

"Jaune."

"Yeah?" He sat straight on his cushion, eyes hopeful. Worried. Stressed. Oh gods, how should she handle this?

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Always."

"I… My last relationship, before Beacon, didn't end well. So in my time here, I really haven't thought much about getting into another one. My mind has been saying 'enter Beacon', 'fight White Fang,' 'don't flunk exams,' and that's about it."

"Oh." He puckered his lips just a little before returning to neutral. "Yeah, I can see that."

But what did that mean for him? It was the next natural question to ask. And her answer would be- "So let's go on a date."

Jaune stopped breathing, so she took that as a sign to continue. "Maybe it'll lead to something more for me, maybe it won't. But there's at least one thing you can take as a point in your favor."

His lungs kicked in, forcing him inhale from the lack of oxygen. When he got his wind back he asked, "And that is?"

Blake stood up, and as he did the same she gave him a small, but genuine smile. "I've loved your voice enough to pay you for it. I think that's a pretty good sign, don't you?"

Jaune's face, Howl's face, went through a myriad of emotions as he processed her words, and when he was done couldn't help but have an honest, yet bashful grin. "Yeah, it's a nice start. I'll have to see if I can weaponize it against you."

Blake chuckled before putting a hand on her head dramatically. "Oh dear, however will Howl get Lady Bell to look at him as more than a friend? Can she not see how she pulls at his heart so?"

"Hey, Howl was prepared to write a full book of poetry if he had to." He laughed too, flashing the handwriting of his own diary towards her. "Honestly, I wish I could speak half as fancy as I write. This is kind of ridiculous when you look at it."

"What was that line? '-While they teased and prodded for the hows and whys, they were magnanimous enough to leave things be without excessive intervention'? Who even talks like that these days, Jaune?"

He frowned a little at that. "I think only Professor Port. Crap."

"If you start to look like him, I'm leaving even if I do fall in love with you."

Jaune held his hand out, his smile and enthusiasm returned in full force. "I promise to keep myself fit, under penalty of having to write more romantic stuff for me to narrate."

Blake shook it firmly. "Deal. Shall we get ready for our date now?"

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This is it, the story's complete for real this time. Please leave a review!