Vale was certainly lively this morning.

Jaune peered around central station as they stepped off their airship, seeing heads as far as the eye could see. A sea of animal features greeted him, everything from horns to tails to scales, fangs, feathers and tusks. Some faunus could certainly pass as human if their traits were less conspicuous; a man by the information kiosk looked human until they got closer, and Jaune spied how his hair appeared more woolen like a sheep. Another woman just looked like she enjoyed wearing trench coats until he saw the tips of leathery wings poking out by her feet.

Nora led the way, seizing his hand and pulling him along without a word, a wide beaming smile on her face. Li walked by his side, brushing against his arm every couple of steps before her hand shyly grasped his other hand, slender fingers curling around his thumb.

It wasn't until they left the station that Nora stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, spinning around to face them.

"Where to first?"

Jaune couldn't help but admire her for a moment, taking in the way her small pink top accentuated her prominent bust. A cute white cardigan was thrown over the top, open in the front while she wore a pair of black denim shorts that showed off her plump, creamy thighs. Along with her white sneakers and ankle socks, she was the picture of cuteness with a hint of naughtiness due to her full figure.

In contrast, Li was dressed in a sheer mesh long sleeve top that clung to her slender frame, showing hints of her lacy black bra beneath that cupped her more modest breasts. A pair of jeans did much to highlight how slim and defined her legs were, cupping her sculpted butt and lifting it even more. Finished off with a pair of black heeled boots, it enhanced her more mature, sharp beauty.

They both wore only the lightest touches of make up. Li had a hint of pink eyeshadow that matched her eyes, and dark eyeliner while Nora's lips were glossy with balm, her cheeks slightly rosy from a brush of rouge.

Both gorgeous in different ways, and miraculously dating him.

He felt a little underdone in his plain blue shirt, jeans and timberlands. The most he'd done was make sure his messy hair was under control, combed and parted on the side.

The art museum that Li wanted to visit was close by and so that was their first stop. Jaune wasn't particularly interested in artwork; at least, not paintings. There were a few artists online he liked to follow but they drew things that were unlikely to end up on display in a place like this. Anime and video game characters, comic book heroes and the like. The paintings displayed here were of sweeping landscapes and portraits of real people, or abstract concepts that Jaune never understood. He just wasn't the type of person to get it, you know?

But one look at Li's face, at the glimmer in her eyes and the slight upturn of her lips was all it took.

"Do you like this one?" he asked.

"He looks like you," she said quietly.

Jaune could see it; sort of. The blond hair and blue eyes were the obvious similarities, and even their build was close. The man in the painting was standing on a beach, the endless ocean stretching out behind him. Remnant's shattered moon hung in the sky, partially captured. His clothing was reminiscent of the nobles of old, a fine blue silk doublet and dark breeches, a sword belted to his hip. From the ornamentation on the hilt and pommel, it was likely a decorative piece.

If not for the obvious pointed claws Jaune could see on the hand resting upon the large jeweled pommel, you could mistake the man for him in a crowd.

"Jaune-Jaune is better, though," Nora looked between the painting and him several times. "Yep~! Jaune is way better."

Jaune grinned. "Thanks, Nora."

Li rolled her eyes.

There were several more portraits of nobles and kings, queens and princes; human and faunus alike. As they moved into the next section, they were greeted with landscapes of long lost ground conceded to the Grimm. Towns and cities that no longer existed, fallen to the hands of time. Some of the very oldest paintings here were of human kingdoms from a time where humanity was at its peak, from well before their decline.

Those paintings in particular drew his eye. An entirely different world. One that would be never known again.

Largest of them was of the oldest, grandest kingdom of men that once stood where Vale now resided. The buildings were carved from stone, rectangular and built high, the architecture nothing like you could find in the modern world. Large sweeping lanes converged from all directions into the center of the sprawling city where the grand palace stood, tall spires reaching far into the sky. It gleamed like a pearl beneath the sun, made from a different stone than the rest; purest white, and Jaune thought it looked like a sword cleaving the sky apart.

Okay, maybe he did like art a little bit after all.

Li smirked as she saw his expression. "Good?"

He huffed. "Yeah."

Nora clucked her tongue. "Come on, let's check out the rest."

There were more paintings of old human kingdoms, and then they found a small display of extinct animals. Even Nora found something she liked as they moved into the abstract section, eyes darting around at all the strange shapes and swirling lines.

"Oh, oh – that one looks like a screaming man!" Nora pointed, speaking a little too loudly. A few people glanced her way but didn't say anything, though their judging eyes said enough. She ignored them.

Jaune tilted his head, trying to see what she saw but… yep, not happening. To Jaune, it just looked like an oddly shaped blob with a hole in it. If it was a man, where were the eyes? But Li nodded along as if Nora had hit the nail on the head, leaving Jaune feeling a little stupid.

"Oh, and this one is a horse!"

Jaune frowned. A horse? It looked more like a car to him. But again, Li was nodding as if Nora was correct.

He just didn't have an eye for this stuff, he supposed.

"And this one… just looks like shapes," Nora appeared confused. "What is this?"

Jaune thought they all just looked like shapes.

"That is one of LeRoux's most famous works," Li said, scandalized. "It represents the duality of man; our ability for great good or great evil. Some say it is the soul itself."

Nora blinked. "Aura is the soul, though."

Jaune had to cover his mouth to hide his smile as Li glared at Nora.

"That doesn't look like aura," Nora continued as if her friend wasn't drilling a hole through her face with her eyes. "It's just a bunch of shapes."

"The circular shapes invoke unity, friendship, stability and are feminine in nature. The triangular are powerful, masculine and firm. Squares are practical and strong while the vertical lines are aggression and overlap with strength and masculinity," Li began to explain.

Nora just looked lost. "Huuuh? What does that have to do with the soul, though? I think you're just making this up, Li-Li."

Li scowled.

Jaune didn't know much about the duality of man but he was witnessing the duality of their friendship right now, and stayed out of it.

They must have spent a little over an hour just wandering around. Besides painted artwork, they had a number of sculptures. Jaune wasn't really interested in the newer ones, seeing as they were more abstract works. He was more taken with the older marble and stone sculptures, many of which came from Mistral and were on loan. Old warriors, their muscular bodies on display. Beautiful women, goddesses that walked the world.

The skill it must have taken to carve these…

"This one looks like Pyrrha," Li pointed out, a slender finger directing his attention to a nearby statue.

Broad shouldered with toned arms and legs, a beautiful woman clutching a javelin in hand and a shield in the other stood upon a raised dais. Dressed in a loose robe belted around the waist with rope, her feet were adorned with sandals, straps criss crossing her powerful calves. Long, wavy hair flowed down her back, a circlet perched on her brow. Chiseled from white marble, there was no other color but Jaune could easily imagine the crimson of Pyrrha's hair and the emerald green of her eyes, the bronze of her shield, javelin and circlet and her pale, smooth skin. All this statue was lacking were her animal traits; there were no fox ears or tail, or any animal traits at all.

She was human.

"It does," he said.

If she'd been born hundreds of years ago, Jaune thought Pyrrha was the exact type of person to warrant a sculpture. Perhaps when their careers as Huntsmen were all said and done, she would warrant one anyway.

Nora pulled out her scroll and took a snapshot, and then directed them to stand in front of it.

"What about you?" Jaune asked.

"Hey~! Mister~!" Nora suddenly bellowed and Jaune cringed as a nearby security guard glared at them. The person she had been shouting at, a brown haired horse faunus judging by the ears, turned their way. "Can you take a picture of us with the statue? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Uh, sure," the man said. It was a little difficult getting them all in frame with the sculpture considering it was like fifteen feet tall but they managed.

"Thanks," Nora beamed.

After that, they moved onto their next destination. Visiting an arcade right after a museum was certainly the type of action that invoked whiplash. From sophisticated culture to the bright lights and fast tempo electronic music of the video games industry, they may as well have entered an entirely different world.

Nora made a beeline for one machine in particular, a booth that contained a pair of plastic pistols set on a rack in front of a large screen.

"I will beat her score," Nora declared while slamming lien into the slot.

"Ten lien says she fails," Jaune bet, holding out his hand.

Li scoffed though she took his hand. "Twenty says she'll also fail."

How would that work, exactly? Did that mean he had to give her ten lien even if he was right?

"Shut up, shut up, shut up," Nora briefly glared at them before focusing on the screen. "I don't need doubters weighing me down."

Unfortunately the girl she was trying to beat was Ruby Rose, the best marksman in their year by far and possibly the entire school. The only one that could compete with her was Pyrrha and even she wasn't quite the crack shot that Ruby was. While her firearm of choice was a high caliber sniper rifle, she was just as good with a pistol.

Nora tried, though. Oh, did she try. She cleared the first, second and third levels without incident. Her foot pounded against the pedal, her character leaping in and out of cover as she mowed down pixelated people with precision and skill. It wasn't until level six that she started to struggle. Even though these games were designed for civilians, many faunus had exemplary reflexes. So even though Nora was a Huntress-in-training, it was a challenge to keep up.

"She's missing now," Li said, amused.

Once she started missing, the tilt set in. Nora gritted her teeth as she tried to make a comeback but her frustration bled into her actions and her movements became less refined, erratic. Her player character began taking damage and when she died on the seventh level boss, Jaune thought she was going to throw the plastic gun through the screen.

"Better luck next time," Li needled.

She was still annoyed about Nora's comments regarding that painting.

"Damn it," Nora seethed. Her score was still really good but not her best. When the leader board appeared, Ruby was the clear winner at the top with an almost perfect clear. The next three spots were also occupied by Ruby before Nora's name appeared in fifth. This particular outing had only netted her an eighth place finish, though.

They ushered her away from the machine before she got it into her head to try again. Jaune tried his hand at a few games. He was absolute pants at fighting games and Li wiped the floor with him again and again, though he was better than Nora and scraped victories against her. He was pretty good at the racing car simulators, though. Out of the three of them, he was the only one that had an actual license to drive and it showed.

Nora laughed as Li planted her car into the wall for the dozenth time. "You're meant to stay on the track, silly."

Li huffed, crossing her arms sulkily.

They were beginning to attract a little bit of attention. No, that wasn't quite right. Nora and Li were. It wasn't every day that girls as attractive as they were visited an arcade. Li in particular with her cool beauty and sharp features that belonged in a fashion catalog garnered envious looks and whispers as they made their way around. Nora… well, her large chest was hypnotizing many of them, especially when she jumped around in excitement.

Jaune's favorite games were those that involved rhythm. Nora tried her best, as did Li – but as the songs became more complex, the lights flashing faster, they couldn't keep up. Jaune's feet tapped the panels with skill, his face focused as he balanced his weight on the bar behind him. While most of the guys were crowding around to get a better look at Nora and Li, some were watching as his score rocketed higher and higher. As the final bars of the song played out and he achieved the rare perfect score, people even began clapping as he sighed, wiping a hand across his brow.

"You've got some fans," Nora giggled as they moved away.

"I think most of them were there for you two," Jaune smirked.

Li hummed. "The girls were looking at you."

Nora and Li shared a look.

The last thing they did before leaving was attempt the claw machine. It was a widely held belief that these things were rigged but Jaune knew a trick or two. One of his favorite things to do when he was younger was win toys for his sisters, and he'd gotten rather good at it.

"Which one do you want?" Jaune asked, specifically Li.

She had a bit of a thing for plushies.

One game contained a plethora of different animals; lions, tigers, whales, fish, birds and more. One was filled with cute versions of cartoon and anime characters. Another even had chibi Grimm – wasn't that a sight?

"That one," she pointed.

Jaune smiled. "Got it."

A goat for a goat.

It only took him a few tries before the soft toy was secure in her hands. Li smiled at it, hugging it to her chest.

"Do me, do me," Nora said excitedly, clapping.

There was a plush cow toy that she had her eye on. This one was a little more tricky. It was slightly larger and thus heavier than the goat, and its position near the back of the case made it difficult to grab. Jaune had to spend a few turns using the claw not to grab it, but to knock it forward. Once he managed that, he was able to pick it up after a few more attempts.

Nora glomped the cow plushie and spun it around before glomping him, almost knocking him over as she clutched his arm between her plump breasts. Jaune tried not to let it affect him too much but it was hard when you had such a warm, soft body pressing into you. Nora squirmed against him, clutching his arm even harder and against his wishes, he felt a certain part of his anatomy begin to react.

"Nora," he tried pulling away but her hold on him was ironclad. Admittedly, he didn't try very hard either. Having her so close to him meant he could smell her shampoo and perfume. Nora wasn't what you would call a girly-girl, more of a tom boy in many ways. Her choice of shampoo was very floral, though; he could smell jasmine and lavender, and her perfume matched with a hint of vanilla.

That only made his rising problem even worse.

Li poked Nora in the ribs with her fingers, wiggling them. The cow faunus thrashed and released him, her face scrunching up as a startled laugh escaped her.

"Li, what are you doing!?" Nora shouted as she writhed away from her friend.

"You're making Jaune uncomfortable."

Jaune shot her a horrified look before realizing that she didn't actually know how uncomfortable. She was just being considerate and had no idea that his cock was already at half-mast. If he grew any more, he was in danger of showing.

Nora pouted. "Am not!"

"He was trying to escape."

Nora frowned.

"Did I make you uncomfortable, Jaune-Jaune?"

That was an unfair question that had no right answer. Adjusting his stance, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I was just a little embarrassed, that's all," it wasn't a lie. Popping a boner just because your girlfriend was hugging your arm a little too enthusiastically was a bit embarrassing, right? He needed to get a hold of himself. He might be a teenager but that didn't mean he needed to brick up at the slightest provocation. "I wasn't expecting it."

"Aww," Nora cooed, beaming at him. "I'll hug you loads more so you expect it all the time, then."

Li smirked. "I don't mind giving more hugs, either."

They were teasing him. Would they be so light hearted if they knew just what they were doing to him? Other than a couple of chaste kisses, they hadn't engaged in anything more serious. They hadn't really talked about it, either. Did they want to go further? Were they ready for such a step? Jaune had just been enjoying their time together so much that he hadn't really been thinking about it but it was moments like these that reminded him just how beautiful they both were, and just how damn horny he was.

If they ever indicated that they were ready for the next step, Jaune wasn't sure he would be able to control himself. He just really hoped that when the time came, if it came, he didn't make a fool of himself. He was a virgin. Before Nora and Li, there had only ever been one other girlfriend but that relationship had only lasted a month and had been in the seventh grade. This was an entirely different beast.

Jaune just didn't want to disappoint them.

Breakfast was now a distant memory for their stomachs and lunch was fast approaching. The cute little cafe with the strawberry shortcake that Li desired was a fifteen minute walk across the city. Their route took them through Vale central park and they admired the greenery, pausing by the river that cut through the city from the large lake at the base of the cliffs that housed Beacon Academy to the sea. Several ducks and swans glided upon the surface, and Jaune spied a group of children throwing small pieces of bread and other feed into the water for them to eat.

When they arrived at the cafe, it was incredibly busy. A line had formed at the counter for those that were ordering to take away and by pure luck, a table opened up at the perfect time. Jaune swiftly took a seat with Nora and Li sitting opposite him before the wait staff even had a chance to clear the dirty plates away.

"Would you like to order now?" the young dog faunus waitress asked, her tail wagging expectantly. Her eyes briefly fell on him, realizing with visible surprise that he was human.

"Yes, I'd like a slice of the strawberry shortcake, please," Li immediately said. "And a cup of your herbal tea, thank you."

Nora snickered. "Um – I'll take the grilled chicken panini and, uuuh – oh~! A slice of the chocolate mud cake."

Jaune scanned the menu as his girlfriends ordered before settling on, "I'll have the grilled cheese sandwich with brie, ham and onion, and one of your cinnamon rolls."

"Drinks?"

"A latte, thanks – one sugar."

The smell of food wafted in from the kitchen, causing his stomach to grumble as the waitress retreated with their orders. Nora was looking around curiously, eyes passing over the numerous photographs plastered all over the walls. They were of Vale. Many of the places he recognized but many of them he didn't. Some were of famous landmarks while others were of simple lanes or trees or houses or parks. Not all of them were modern, either. The oldest of them were in black and white, showcasing a Vale known only to those that lived back then. Jaune saw the evolution of the architecture, though many of these buildings still existed beside their more modern counterparts.

It was like looking at a montage capturing time within the streets of Vale. Jaune thought it was pretty neat.

The cafe held a rustic charm to it that was very appealing. The tables were made from old wooden barrels with a hardwood top stretched between them, the chairs from pallet wood. Ceramic jugs were used as vases, containing beautiful arrangements of flowers; everything from vibrant red roses to colorful daisies that spanned the spectrum of the rainbow, elegant white daffodils and so many more. Strange sculptures made from scrap metal adorned the corners alongside potted greenery.

"This was a good choice," Jaune said to Li, giving her a smile. "I like it."

"Nora?" a familiar voice called out. "What are you – oh! I see how it is."

Turning in his chair, he came face to face with Coco Adel.

She had a smug look on her face as she tipped her aviators down her nose, Jaune catching a hint of her chocolate brown eyes as she surveyed them. Coco was a second year student and one of the more difficult faunus to pinpoint. Her animal trait wasn't so obvious as other people and when he'd first met her, he'd originally mistaken her for human.

It wasn't until he got a closer look at her short brown hair that he realized that it wasn't hair at all. It was fur.

Mink fur, to be precise.

Coco Adel – mink faunus.

Impossibly soft to the touch, it slid through your fingers like silk. Why did he know that? Because she was the type of girl that liked to tease and getting him to run his hands through her hair had been a very effective tool in embarrassing him when he'd been stupid enough to ask her if she was a human like he was.

If she had any other animal traits, they weren't visible.

Her teammate, on the other hand – well, it was impossible to miss what type of faunus she was.

"Hey Jaune," she greeted shyly, waving. "Nora. Li."

Velvet Scarlatina – rabbit faunus. Her long, brown ears stood straight up from her head, making her appear much taller than she actually was. Shy and even a little jittery, she certainly reminded Jaune of the rabbit he'd raised as a pet when he'd been a young boy.

"Coco, Velvet," Li nodded.

"Heya," Nora peered between them curiously. "You guys on a date?"

Leave it to Nora to break the ice with a sledgehammer.

Velvet blushed cutely as Coco laughed loudly.

"Nah, we're just hanging," Coco said. "Though it looks like you three are getting cozy."

"Yup~! We've got Jaune-Jaune for the whoooole day."

"Heh. Well, don't tire the poor boy out. Looking after two women is no easy feat, I would know."

Coco wasn't entirely lesbian but she definitely preferred girls over men. They'd only been at Beacon for a couple of weeks when she'd made a pass at Li, something that the goat faunus had rebuffed instantly. Instead of hurt feelings, they'd become friends instead. Li wasn't the only girl Coco had gone after, though. Weiss was a popular target, as was Pyrrha.

"No worries there," Nora beamed. "Jaune has stamina to burn."

Jaune knew she didn't mean anything by it beyond the literal definition of her words. So did everyone else. There was no hidden innuendo, no doublespeak going on. But that didn't stop the sly smirk that stretched across Coco's face from forming.

"Is that so," Coco arched an eyebrow at him. "Sounds like fun. Maybe I'll have to make use of that spunk one day, if you don't mind."

Velvet looked scandalized by Coco's words while Li just rolled her eyes. Jaune didn't bat an eye because he was already long accustomed to her teasing. Nora laughed in response.

"Well, we'll let you guys get on with your date. Cya guys later."

"Bye~!" Nora waved as they took their place in the queue. "Coco is so nice."

Li huffed. "Too nice."

Their food arrived soon after.

Jaune watched as Nora took out her scroll and snapped a bunch of pictures, making Li wait until she was done before allowing her to eat. Her strawberry shortcake looked amazing topped with vibrant fresh strawberries, plump and juicy. The sound she made when she bit into it made Jaune feel a certain type of way. Soft and breathy, almost like a sigh but higher pitched; almost a mewl.

Wasn't that a little erotic for just eating food? Didn't she understand how that sounded?

Nora dug into her panini and Jaune ate his grilled cheese. The bread was perfectly toasted and buttery, the cheese melted just right. With just a hint of pepper, combined with the smoky taste of the ham, a simple meal was transformed into a great one. He finished his meal off quickly before starting on his cinnamon roll, humming as the delicious glaze melted on his tongue. The pastry was soft and chewy, the cinnamon sugar strong but not overpowering. Taking another bite, he savored the sweetness.

"Don't," Li said, voice even as Nora's hand crept towards her plate. Half of her slice was already gone. "I'm warning you."

"Please," Nora whined. "Can I have a piece?"

"No."

"Pretty, pretty please?"

Nora shot her puppy dog eyes. While it wasn't as good as Ruby, it was pretty darn close.

"No."

"Aw, come on. Sharing is caring."

"Eat your own cake."

Nora's hand darted for the prize but Li was too quick. Her fork flashed like a dagger and if Nora didn't have aura, it would have pierced her skin with ease. But she wasn't a Huntress for nothing, the utensil warping as it struck Nora's hand and slid across her skin, aura flaring in protection.

Even though it didn't cause injury, it still hurt.

"Ouch~!" Nora flinched, yanking her hand back. "Hey, that really hurt!"

"My cake," Li said, face carved from stone. "Mine."

"Uh – you've ruined your fork," Jaune commented, trying not to laugh. Li stared at her fork in surprise. "Think we'll have to pay for that?"

They did. It was only right.

In the end, Li did share a little bit of her shortcake – with Jaune, not Nora. Nora pouted the whole time he tasted it, those glistening eyes filling him with guilt. One glance at Li, however, drove away any inclination of slipping Nora a piece. In return he shared a piece of his cinnamon roll and Nora let him try her mud cake. It was incredibly rich and moist, darkly decadent with a very slight bitterness from the chocolate.

Like everything else, it was good.

Bellies full and energy recharged, their next stop was a popular strip of retailers on the main street in the commercial district. Clothing, electronics, shoes, accessories and so much more, this was the place to find it. Their date had been going well so far but Jaune knew that this was the part all men feared. He'd been shopping with his sister's enough times to know exactly what he was in for.

Swarms of teenagers moved in packs, loitering around benches and hanging out in front of stores. Many of them were sipping on shakes or boba, or munching on fast food, chatting boisterously with their friends. It was a popular spot to chill, though not just for kids. Twenty-somethings in fashionable clothing took selfies alone or with companions, many of whom were social media influencers from all the different platforms; I-Tube, MyFace, Tweeter and even OnlyFang's.

Jaune actually recognized a couple of them because of his sister's. There was a girl who did makeup reviews, a lizard faunus who utilized her scales to show how effective the products were at covering blemishes, and a guy who did food reviews, a lion faunus with a big bushy mane.

"Woah, she's barely wearing any clothes," Nora said while pointing at a voluptuous hare faunus with long, droopy ears and a cute fluffy tail. She wasn't wrong; her small crop top only just covered her underboob while her shorts were so short they could seriously be mistaken for panties, riding up the inner curve of her butt. She was attractive and knew it, posing for the camera to highlight her best features.

"Don't point, it's rude," Li said, grabbing Nora's hand and pulling her along. Jaune followed them until they stopped in front of a swimwear store. The mannequin in the window was wearing a pretty green one piece with a belly window, suited for someone of slender physique with a toned torso.

"Uh – I can wait here, if you like?"

Li smirked. "We'd like for you to come with us."

"Yeah," Nora said. "You can tell us what you think."

There was no escape.

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