A/N: Me: But Muse, I really need to get to Charismatic Gamer!

Muse: Hush, you! I'm focused on this one, so get writing!

X

"So let me get this straight." Olive's tone couldn't have possibly been any drier as she stood in his doorway with her arms crossed. "Something bad happened with that 'Crystal' girl last night that you won't share with Mom or me, but you were willing to explain to Yang..."

"I actually wanted to talk to Mom about it," countered Jaune, "but she was asleep when I got back and hasn't woken up yet."

"...and now Yang is taking you on a pity date? I may not have a lot of dating experience, Jaune, but this seems weird to me."

He nodded in acknowledgement of her thinking as he grabbed a brown jacket from the closet. "I can see what you mean, Olive; but while I don't know what Yang's plan for today is, she made it clear that this was just a 'friend cheering up a friend' thing. Would you rather be the one putting up with, well, me?"

"I've spent all of our years together as the more mature sibling. I suppose I can pass the reins of 'Jaune-picker-upper' for a day." A small smile made its way onto her lips. "Just be safe with whatever it is you two do."

"Not gonna tell me to 'not have too much fun' again?"

"You were acting all mopey before Yang came by this morning. By all means, have fun." She finally dropped her arms and stepped to the side so that he could exit his room. "But you will tell Mom and I what happened later."

"Promise." He held up his right hand with his fingers spaced like Spock from Star Trek, a gesture which Olive returned. They'd adopted the move years ago and transformed it into their version of a pinky promise. It was silly by any standard, really, but they couldn't help having a similar taste in media. The way Jaune saw it, Olive really was his twin sister that just so happened to be born two years later. Once they dropped their hands, he went outside and met up with a patiently waiting Yang to take her to her house.

The conversation during the drive was light, mainly him probing her for information and her dodging the questions. Following her directions, they eventually pulled up to a two-story house that was a little bit smaller than the Arc household. The paint was a light-brown all around save for the white door. She invited him to come inside while she got ready, the invitation being a thinly veiled order rather than a request, so he dutifully followed her in and took his shoes off in the entryway. Humorously enough, the Xiao Long household felt familiar despite the fact that he'd never been there before. Warm colors greeted him, with smiling faces popping out of picture frames, each one promising its own unique story. Quite frankly, it felt like his own home: lived in and loved.

As he took a seat on the spacious sofa, Yang disappeared into the kitchen for a moment before returning with a glass of water. "Here you go. I'd offer you a glass of milk instead, but we only have enough this morning for Ruby's cereal and I don't think either one of us want to be on the receiving end of her puppy dog eyes."

Jaune took the glass and sipped off of it. "Nah, I'm good with water, thanks. Like you mentioned earlier, I have seven sisters; I consider myself immune to little sister pleading."

Yang raised a finger with a 'tut.' "Her look is super effective, almost scarily so with her silver eyes. You be careful not to have your cookies stolen around her. Now, I'm going to go shower, so be a good boy and wait for me."

He rolled his eyes, something he seemed to be doing a lot these days. "I'll be the goodest boy and sit right here."

Yang gave a small laugh as she disappeared, leaving Jaune to sink into the cushions as he kept drinking. He was still feeling the sting from the night before, but Yang had made it clear that her self-appointed job was to cheer him up; and, to his surprise, it was already starting to work a little. There still wasn't any anger in his heart, just confusion and overall moodiness.

Before he could mull around in his thoughts for much longer, the sound of footsteps alerted him to a nearby doorway. A woman with red-tipped brunette hair was smiling warmly at him, and for a brief moment he wondered if Ruby and Yang had an older sister they hadn't told him about. Wearing a t-shirt and jeans, she approached him and held her hand out. "Yang told me we had a guest today. I'm Summer Rose, her mother."

'Well, that answers that question.' Jaune returned the handshake, noting that she had a strong grip. "I'm Jaune Arc; it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

She gave a soft snort. "Call me Summer, please. Ma'am makes me feel old or like I'm on the job, and today's my day off. Although..." Summer eyed him curiously as she released the handshake. "Why does that name sound familiar...?"

The last sentence was spoken more to herself than to him, so he remained silent until she shrugged her shoulders and resumed smiling. "Oh well. So, can I assume that you're the boy my daughter's been seeing for some time now?"

The phrasing made him stutter a bit. "W-we aren't dating or anything, but she's been coming by on most Sundays to listen to me sing a bit. If, uh, if that's okay."

"Of course It's okay! There's nothing with hanging out with friends." A sudden loud thump came from directly above their heads, causing Summer to sigh. "And that would be Qrow falling out of bed again. Pardon me while I fetch him."

Jaune was bemused at the thought of a pet crow habitually falling from its perch, but a minute later discovered that Summer had been talking about a person. The disheveled man had gray hair and was wearing a gray button-down shirt that wasn't quite buttoned up all the way. Slowly, he dragged himself to sit on a nearby recliner while Summer fetched an ice pack for some swelling he had over his eye. Rather than simply handing the pack to him, she thrust it onto his face, eliciting a groan from him before he held it with his own left hand. "Was that really necessary, Sum?"

"Yes," she sniped back. "Why I let you convince Tai to install a hammock in the guest bedroom I'll never know, because you've fallen out of it every time you crash here. When are you going to learn to not roll out of bed with a hangover?"

"Probably when my liver finally fails." 'Qrow' laughed to himself before finally noticing Jaune's presence. "Who're you, kid?"

"Jaune Arc, nice to meet you." He rose from his seat and approached Qrow, offering him a handshake.

Qrow didn't take it; instead, his red eyes went wide as he looked Jaune over from head-to-toe. A look of recognition shot onto his face before he promptly covered it with his free hand. "Shit."

"QROW!" Summer punched him in the arm as Jaune recoiled from the man's tone. "What's the matter with you? This boy is our guest!"

"Nothing's wrong, I just-" Qrow cut himself off, sighing before sticking his own right hand out for a shake. "Sorry, kid. You haven't done anything, I just... remembered something. The name's Qrow. I'm Ruby and Yang's uncle."

Jaune shook it with trepidation, not quite sure what to make of the clearly hungover man. Before he could speak, Qrow leaned back in his chair and said, "So, how old are you Jaune?"

"Seventeen, why?"

"I see." He scratched a bit at his light beard. "When you turn eighteen, let me know. I'll take you out to a bar and show you what it's like to drink."

'First he cusses at the sound of my name, then he offers to buy me drinks? This is bizarre.' He mentally shrugged. "I appreciate the offer. It won't be until next August, sorry to say."

"That's a shame. Still, if you're hanging out with the family we'll get the chance to talk sometime." With that said, he pulled a lever on the chair and the foot cushion shot up, allowing him to prop his feet up and relax. When Jaune turned to Summer and mouthed 'Is this normal?', she silently replied 'kind of' and gestured for him to follow her to the kitchen.

As he made to follow, a red blur rushed down the stairs and cut him off; Ruby nearly tripped on his foot in the process, causing her to stumble for a moment until she found her balance. As she turned to face him she started to shout, "Hey, why'd you trip me Yan-"

She stopped as her brain processed his appearance. "De~efinitely not Yang. How's it going, Jaune?"

"Could be better," he said with a shrug. "Your sister kidnapped me today."

"That's a shame. I'll make sure she includes cookies as a demand in the ransom note." She smiled as she went about pouring herself a bowl of cereal. Due to being two years apart in age and classes he hadn't gotten to know Ruby particularly well, but he felt that they'd gotten along the few times they talked. After she sat down at the kitchen counter and took her first bite, savoring its sugary goodness, she looked back at him and asked, "So you're hanging out with Yang today?"

"Pretty much. Don't ask me what we're doing, 'cause I have no clue. I'm thinking that I might wind up as the box and bag carrier at some point."

"Hey, if you're offering!" Yang popped up from behind him, now wearing brown shorts and a cropped shirt-and-jacket top that showed off a bit of skin. Jaune did his best to ignore the scent of her lavender shampoo. "I do need a new helmet for riding my motorcycle, but outside of that we aren't doing any shopping today."

Jaune shifted to let her into the kitchen, it starting to feel a bit cramped now. "Oh really? And what, pray tell, is the grand master plan for the day?"

"All in due time, my fellow blonde. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep," he said as he sat his glass down on the counter. "It was nice to meet you, Ma- Summer."

"I caught that." She pointed an accusatory finger at him before smiling again. "Take care of my daughter, okay?"

"I will."

-Yang-

Still feeling proud of how quick her shower went since they usually took a while, Yang said farewell to Ruby and Summer and exitted the kitchen. As she approached the front door, however, her uncle Qrow made his presence known. "Can I talk to you for a sec, firecracker?"

Being closer to the front door, Jaune looked back at her and said, "I'll be waiting in the truck. Take your time."

"I'll be there soon," she replied with a nod. She stepped back into the living room and looked down at Qrow, who'd removed the ice pack he was wearing and was looking out the door where Jaune had just been. "What's up? Giving me a 'be careful around guys' speech?"

"Nah, nothing like that." He finally met her eyes, and what she saw there concerned her. She expected to find 'protective uncle' mode, but instead found something that was approaching... sorrow. "That kid there, Jaune... How's his family doing?"

"They're alright, I guess." Yang couldn't figure out where the conversation was going. "Jaune works to help with the food and bills around the house since his mom can't do full-time work."

"I figured as much. Listen, I know this sounds weird coming from me, but if he or his family need anything and you find out about it, let me know." Qrow sighed into the ice pack he was holding. "I knew his dad before he died, so... yeah."

She was surprised to hear that bit of info, to say the least. Her family being in touch with his before she had been? It was strange to think about, but it also raised a fair amount of questions. "What happened to his dad, anyways?"

Qrow seemed to think for a moment before shaking his head. "Not my place to say if he hasn't told you. Just take care of yourself and him today, alright?"

"Will do." She gave him a pat on the back, hoping that whatever was bothering him about Jaune settled down. When she made it out to the truck, Jaune was already bobbing his head along to some rock music. He still wasn't singing along, but she figured that he'd be better after they hung out for a while.

She gave him the route to the bike store and they drove off, sitting in relative silence as Creed gave way to Shinedown over the speakers, which were linked to Jaune's phone. Yang wanted to strike up a conversation about music, but quickly realized that, outside of the pop songs that came on sometimes and the classics that everyone and their momma's have listened to, she didn't know much in the way of music. It also didn't help that she wasn't really talented in it; she could follow a beat just fine, but singing or actually putting an instrument in her hands... let's just say that it always led to jeers instead of cheers. 'After all this time I've spent listening to him, you'd think I would've taken some time to practice so I could sing along.'

Just one more thing that'd have to change. May it never be said that Yang Xiao Long was lazy regarding her friendships.

Sooner rather than later, they pulled up to a dinky shop that had a number of motorcycles parked under an open-air carport, prices taped to the front lights of each one. Making there way inside, there was an older man with brown hair pulled back into a ponytail behind the counter. He smiled at the sight of them and said, "Welcome back, Yang. You're my first customer today, so I'm already having a good day."

"Aw, you're just a big flirt, Coral." This was their usual routine, it being the older man's way of increasing sales with his female customers. "I'm just here for a helmet today."

Coral pointed to the back wall, where a selection of helmets were clearly on display. "Knock yourselves out. Let me know if you don't find a style you like."

Yang immediately starting comparing helmets, examining the backs to see how they'd treat her hair. Jaune looked over the selection passively. "Should I be surprised that you have a motorcycle, Yang? It seems pretty... you, for lack of a better word."

"That just shows how well you know me, Jaune. I'm a thrill seeker at heart, so me having a bike is like a bird having wings." Finding a semi-decent one, she pulled her hair back and put it on. Flipping the visor up, she grinned and asked, "How do I look?"

It was green, with an almost oval front and airholes along the jawline. Jaune cupped his chin thoughtfully. "Not your color, but the style's good."

"I'm gonna spray paint it anyways, so it's all good." Yanking (Yanging?) it off of her head, she looked at the price tag and nodded to herself. Not cheap, but manageable. She grabbed an unopened box of the same model and took it to the counter. A few minutes later, they were back inside of the truck and putting the new helmet behind her seat. "Alright, Jaune. it's time for our true destination. Let's head over to Level Up!"

"Level Up?" He tilted his head as he started up the truck. "Where is it and what is it? It sounds like an arcade to me."

"Close, but no cigar. You'll find out ve~ry soon, though! Head down Broad street, and then make a right onto 12th. I'll point it out as we approach."

Level Up turned out to be in a little strip mall right next to a dry cleaner. Yang led the way once more, opening the door and holding it for him to enter. The interior was deceptively big, with rows of tv's not far off of the ground and a rather slim chair in front of each one. Playstation 4s were seen in one grouping of tv's, Xbox ones in the other. In the middle of the building were two larger tv's mounted on the wall with sofas strategically placed around then. In the back-left was a single row of computers, and to the right was a pool table.

It was amazing to behold, and Yang saw Jaune's jaw hang open a bit. 'Perfect.'

Near the front, a dapper looking man with red hair and a bowler cap greeted them with a cane. "Welcome to Level Up, home to the latest and greatest of games and entertainment. And welcome back to you, Yang. You do realize that I just opened up today, right?"

"All the better so you don't waste electricity, Roman. And I brought a new customer, so why are you even complaining?"

"Meh, it's Neo's fault. She's been griping at me about keeping the freezer stocked up with ice cream." He shrugged and grabbed a paper, passing it to Jaune who accepted it numbly. "Nice to meet ya, kid. The name's Roman Torchwick, and that paper is the terms and agreements page for using my little playground. I promise, it's your typical 'you accept responsibility for breaking things' deal. Print here, sign there."

Jaune looked it over and signed it after finding nothing unusual. Roman received it and filed the paper in a drawer. "Thank you. So you know how this works, you can either pay for a certain number of hours or buy an all day pass. The 'all day' comes with some pizza that I order later on in the day, otherwise you can purchase snacks and drinks from the fridge right behind you. There's a list of all the games I own right there on the wall, so just tell me what you wanna play and I'll slide you the disc and controller."

Yang pulled out her wallet and forked over some Lien. "Two all day passes, please."

Jaune turned to protest, "You don't have to pay for me, Yang."

"Ah, but I do my friend!" She grinned at him and pulled the list out of its place on the wall. "I invited you here to cheer you up. There's no point in me doing that if I leave you broke, not counting food, of course. Now go through this stack of papers and find something we can play together."

An hour later, they were throwing down in Battlefield, running and gunning on the questionably historic fields of Mistral. Two hours later, Jaune had discovered the "Project Diva" line of games from Sega and had devoted himself to perfecting at least one song while Yang watched on in amusement.

Three hours later, they'd been joined by two dear friends...

"Nora. Nora, no. I've been leaving you alone in your little perch, I'm not bothering you!"

"I'm sorry, Jaune-Jaune, but I have a rocket launcher and you're flying a Banshee. This is how it's meant to be!"

Boom!

"Damnit! Do you know how much effort I went to in order to hijack that from Ren!?"

"You're welcome," snarked Ren from his chair. Yang had to set her controller to the side as she laughed at her friends' antics. While the duo's appearance had been a surprise it certainly hadn't been unwelcome, and the fact that Jaune was now relaxed enough to weep over losing a Banshee in Halo meant that he was far better off than he was that morning. Apparently, Ren and Nora had been coming to Level Up for over a month, and had actually invited Jaune there a couple of times (not that he remembered them.)

A grand total of four hours and fifteen minutes after their arrival, Jaune and Yang finally saw fit to wrap up for the day. As they breached the open air, Jaune zipped his jacket up to his neck. "Geez, you know it's November when it's cold in the middle of the day. I can't understand how you aren't freezing, Yang."

"It's because I'm naturally smokin' hot, Jaune!" She spun around slowly to emphasize her figure. Jaune laughed, actually laughed at her, which brought a smile to her lips. "Really, though, I just handle the cold better than you. Come January, I'll be bundled up just like everybody else. That's what happens when you're an athlete: you run warmer than others."

"I see, so Pyrrha must be the same way, then." He opened the truck and they both hopped inside, and as he got it going he gave a sound of contentment. "Thanks for all of that, Yang. I really needed a distraction today."

"That's what friends do, Jaune." She gave his shoulder a friendly squeeze and ignored the un-friendly grip that hit her heart. "Let's get you home, I'm sure the family will want you around for dinner."

"That's a safe assumption." As they rolled out of the parking lot, Yang took comfort in that she'd done one of the things she'd set out to do. Come the next day, she was diving headfirst into her next problem: figuring out what happened on Weiss's end.

X

You may be thinking that Jaune is completely over being stood up. He's NOT; Yang's just helped remove the sting from the wound until salt inevitably gets poured into it later.

Weiss returns in the next chapter. See you later!