Jaune hadn't enjoyed the burden of knowledge he'd accidentally stumbled into and felt much better for finally being able to clear the air, so to speak. Even though he still felt a little shitty for getting involved in something that on the surface didn't involve him, he was willing to be the bad guy if it meant averting an even more horrible situation from developing.

Other than a few awkward glances from Blake, the following couple of weeks passed without incident. Classes continued, of which Jaune continued to struggle in many of them but he was able to complete his assignment on the White Fang. He hadn't expected much but Doctor Oobleck had been impressed with his work, and he managed to score an almost perfect mark for it.

The only criticism he received was that his essay structure was a little lacking and so it read a little wonky at times. The body of work he managed to put together was exceptional though; Oobleck words, not his own.

That placed Jaune in a really good mood. It always felt good to do well in something, especially something you weren't particularly good at in the first place. It was something he could be proud of.

Now he just needed to get his fighting up to par and he could really feel good about himself. Easier said than done. Pyrrha was doing her best and Jaune had already seen some results. He was less prone to panic, his basic swordsmanship was coming along nicely and his footwork had seen a massive improvement over where it had been only a month ago. That part of his training was his favorite and the thing he seemed to be the best at.

It probably had to do with his years and years of dance.

It wasn't the same, of course it wasn't. One was a part of fighting and the other was a recreational activity. But there were similarities found within the two disciplines. It didn't need to be a perfect comparison. Things like rhythm and position, form and muscle memory. Drilling the steps in a sword kata wasn't much different than drilling the steps in a waltz.

It was all about practice. Practice until it becomes second nature.

All he needed was time.

Whenever he got frustrated, he just reminded himself that he shouldn't even be here. Everyone else attended years of preparatory schools or had tutors, or their lives had been hard and dangerous in a way Jaune had never known. He'd just shown up with some fake papers and a dream with only the most basic knowledge of how to hold and swing a sword, or brace with a shield.

He also had one of the best fighters of their generation teaching him personally.

He had nothing to be frustrated about.

But he needed to put in the hard work. Despite her amazing natural gifts and talent, Pyrrha worked harder than anyone else. He'd seen it first hand. Jaune knew that if he wanted to catch up with his friends and stand by their side, he needed to work just as hard as she did.

No.

He needed to work harder.

If Pyrrha ran ten laps, he ran twenty. If Pyrrha lifted for an hour, he lifted for two. If Pyrrha practiced her sword forms every morning and every evening, then he would make sure to practice twice as long. He knew that rest was important and he was very careful about not overdoing it but sometimes, he let himself get caught up in the moment.

But he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop. Not only for himself but to pay back all the effort Pyrrha was willing to put into him becoming a Huntsman. She didn't need to do any of this but she was. Jaune would be eternally grateful to her.

Which was why instead of going to dinner, he was jogging around campus while the rest of his friends made their way to the dining hall. The kitchens didn't close until late so he wasn't in any danger of missing out. The nature of Huntsmen-in-training meant that students were regularly coming and going at all hours, deployed or returning from missions. This was more common for the second year students and above but even the first years went out on occasion. They hadn't yet but as team leader, Jaune had made sure to find out these things.

If there was one thing the staff knew at this school it was that a tired Huntsman made for a hungry Huntsman.

Beacon spared no expense in that regard.

He thought all of his friends would be there but when he rounded the dormitory building and passed through the paved courtyard, it was to find Blake Belladonna waiting for him by the archway that led further on towards the library.

At first he didn't know what to think and almost just ran straight by her without a word, his brain registering what he was doing at the last possible moment. He came to a stumbling stop, his tired legs protesting as he hastily gasped for air.

"Blake?" he asked, wiping at the sweat that had accumulated on his brow. "Why aren't you at dinner?"

"I thought you might like some company," she said, her face giving nothing away. Amber eyes stared at him with resolve. "That is, if you don't mind?"

Unexpected didn't even begin to cover it.

Jaune shook his head. "No, of course not. I'm just – uh, a little surprised, that's all."

Blake had taken the time to change out of her school uniform and into something more appropriate for exercise. She wore a simple purple tank crop top that showed off her ridiculously toned stomach and a pair of black spats that left little to the imagination. Jaune felt his eyes waver from her face before focusing on her hair before he could make a fool of himself. It had been pulled back into a high ponytail, something he hadn't seen from her before. It was very cute.

Of course, as usual, her bow was neatly in place.

"Good surprised, I hope?" she pressed.

"Yeah, sure – I mean, I'm happy to have you along. Uh – I just run a route around campus that Pyrrha showed me. You want to do that or do you have something else in mind?"

"That's fine."

And without any further words, they were off.

They didn't speak. The only sounds they made were their panting breath and their shoes pounding dirt as they continued around the school. Jaune tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand but it was difficult.

Blake was… really pretty.

Jaune wasn't blind. All of his friends were ridiculously attractive and Blake was one of them. Her sleek black hair and pale skin, those golden eyes that oftentimes reminded Jaune of heated honey, and her Huntress fit physique – calling her merely pretty was a little bit of an understatement.

She was beautiful. Just because he had a massive crush on Weiss didn't mean he couldn't acknowledge the objective truth.

And she was running in front of him while wearing some pretty revealing clothes. Blake's stride was long and sure, graceful. She moved without effort, her toned legs flexing powerfully as she practically floated. In comparison, Jaune felt like a lumbering brute, ambling behind her in an approximation of a run.

They ran, and ran, and ran until Jaune felt the burn in his lungs reach a point where he couldn't ignore it, and then he ran some more. Blake had built up a nice sweat herself, her neck and face pinkening from the strain. Jaune was really starting to feel it in his thighs now, his legs feeling like dead weights. As they passed by the library, he spoke for the first time since she joined him.

"One more lap," he managed to gasp out.

Blake nodded, her ponytail bouncing as she straightened her shoulders.

When they reached the finish line, Jaune nearly collapsed. Stumbling over to a nearby bench, he thumped down with zero grace, sprawled out as he gulped desperately for air. Blake was a little more dignified but she was breathing just as heavily, leaning forward with her hands clasped between her knees as she sucked in some big ones.

"Do you – haaah – run like that everyday?" she said after a moment of recovery.

Jaune nodded tiredly. "Yeah. Whenever I find the time."

Blake shook her head, straightening up. "You're trying really hard, aren't you?"

He felt a little swell of pride grow within him. It was nice of someone to notice. "I have to."

Amber eyes glanced at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone else is already so good," he shrugged, his heart rate beginning to come down a little. "If I don't put in the effort, I'll be left behind."

Blake nodded slowly. "I suppose I can understand that feeling."

Jaune considered her, thinking it over. He'd discovered her deepest, darkest secret and yet she knew nothing of his. Pyrrha had been first, and he'd since told Ren and Nora, but only his team knew about his false transcripts. Well, Cardin knew but he didn't count.

Should he tell her?

"Jaune?" she asked when he continued to stare at her. "Is there something on my face?"

"Are you thirsty?" he asked, standing. His legs protested the movement but he ignored them. "I'll get us a couple of bottles of water from the vending machine."

"Oh," she gave him a grateful look. "Yes, please."

Beacon had vending machines everywhere. You couldn't go down a corridor and through a courtyard without bumping into at least three of them. Jaune hurried over to the nearest one and purchased two waters, swiping his scroll to pay. The bottles clunked into the catch tray and he picked them up, holding one against his neck.

The chill was amazing against his overheated skin.

He had made his decision.

"Thank you," Blake said as he handed her one of the bottles, and he waited until she'd taken a long pull before speaking.

"I have something to tell you."

Something must have shown in his voice because Blake suddenly straightened up, her face guarded.

"What is it?"

Jaune didn't bother mincing words or beating around the bush, though he did look around to make sure they were completely alone. He just came straight out and said it. Thankfully, his voice didn't crack.

"I falsified my transcripts to get into Beacon."

Blake stared at him, almost like she couldn't comprehend the words that had left his mouth. Truth be told, despite the seriousness of the conversation, he thought her slightly shocked, slightly stupefied expression was pretty funny.

"What?"

"I falsified my transcripts to get into Beacon," he repeated. "I shouldn't be here."

Her mouth opened and then shut, speechless. Jaune sat down beside her and cracked open his bottle, taking a long draw. The cold liquid was heaven against his parched throat, and he ended up drinking most of the bottle in one go.

"Oh man, I really needed that," he groaned, sipping at the rest. "That hit the spot."

"You falsified your transcripts," Blake finally managed to say. "To get into Beacon."

"Yep."

As flippant as he was being, he was curious about how she would take it. Jaune didn't think she'd run off and tell the teachers. If he thought that about her, he wouldn't have dared utter a word about it. And all for nothing, he held an even more damaging secret about her so even if she were that type of person, she would think twice about it.

But she wasn't that type of person.

Jaune was positive.

He might not know Blake very well but he was sure about this.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"I know something about you," he said. "So I thought you should know something about me. Fair is fair, right?"

Her expression was hard to read.

"...does anyone else know?"

"Pyrrha does," he confirmed. "We sort of had a bit of a fight and I blurted it out. Real dumb, right? Well, Cardin overheard us so he also knows."

"Cardin knows?" Blake suddenly stood, looking outraged. "Jaune!"

"I know, I know," Jaune held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Not the best person to know."

"Wait a minute," Blake frowned. "Is that why you were hanging out with Team CRDL? Was he blackmailing you?"

Jaune grinned, happy that she felt so offended on his behalf.

"Something like that, yeah. Did you really think I liked hanging out with those jerks? But don't worry, that's all been sorted. Cardin won't be telling anyone else about it."

He hoped. He hadn't so far and Jaune had no reason to believe that wouldn't continue. Cardin hadn't even told the other members of his team. Russel, Sky and Dove only knew that Cardin had something on Jaune, not the specifics of what it was.

Cardin knew if his entire team knew, it wouldn't stay a secret for very long. His teammates liked to run their mouths. Cardin was dumb but he wasn't completely stupid.

"Jaune, are you sure?" she appeared doubtful. "Cardin Winchester is the worst type. An ignorant, vile bully that relishes lording his strength over others."

Faunus in particular. Jaune had heard more than enough insults for faunus come from Cardin's mouth to know exactly how he felt about Blake's people, even if he hadn't already seen the way he treated faunus students like Velvet, the rabbit faunus second year.

"I'm sure," he said and after a moment, Blake sat down again. "I told Ren and Nora, and now I'm telling you."

Blake blinked. "Ruby doesn't know?"

Jaune shook his head, grimacing. "No, not yet. I'll tell her eventually but… well, I guess I don't want to disappoint her. Ruby is a really good girl and maybe I didn't want her to think any less of me."

Blake smirked. "You don't care if you disappoint me?"

Jaune gave a half-laugh. "Maybe I thought you would understand. If only a little."

Blake went silent.

"I never went to combat school and my father was always too busy to train me," Jaune began to explain, a desire to share a little more about his circumstances rising up within him. "He wasn't a Huntsman but he was a warrior. He used to be part of the local militia that protected our village from bandits and Grimm. My grandfather was the same, and my great-grandfather fought in the Great War. Crocea Mors belonged to him."

Jaune finished off his water, setting the bottle aside.

"I come from a small town in the north. There isn't much there, really – just farms, and fishing trawlers. We're right on the coast. I was expected to become a farmer or a fisherman, or something else that would help the village operate. The old militia is still around but these days, Huntsmen live in the village. Retired, of course – but they've picked up the slack of defending the place, so there was less of a need for an official force," Jaune shrugged. "I could have joined them, though. If I really wanted to but… well, I guess I wanted more."

He sighed.

"So one day, I picked up my great-grandfather's sword, told my parents I had applied to Beacon and I was accepted, and caught a train from the nearest station I could find. A complete lie. But I'd found someone online that could get me some fake papers so I saved up all my pocket money and everything I earned from part-time jobs, and came to Vale to buy them. And… here we are."

Jaune fiddled with his fingers, waiting for Blake to say something.

"...Jaune, did you even have your aura unlocked?"

He wasn't expecting that question.

"Uh – haha?"

The expression etched on her face caused him to lean away.

"What were you thinking?" she asked, aghast.

"Not very much, apparently," he tried to joke but she looked decidedly unimpressed.

"You could have died!"

"Yeah," he said solemnly. "I know."

Blake shook her head incredulously.

"Luckily, I somehow captured Pyrrha's attention and she pinned me to a tree before I hit the ground. Otherwise I might have been nothing but a red smear for the rest of initiation."

"You're either really brave or really stupid," she told him. "And I think I know which one."

"But it worked out in the end, so I can't complain."

"Barely!"

She was getting really worked up about this. Jaune smiled.

"Hey – I appreciate the concern but we're here, aren't we? I made it."

Blake huffed, crossing her arms. "I never would have thought this but you're a lot like Yang, aren't you? Ridiculous."

He laughed, something she didn't seem to appreciate.

This was nice. Even though the subject matter was a little too serious for his liking, this was the longest conversation they'd had – well, other than when he confronted her about the White Fang. It seemed that they only really talked when they had something big to discuss. He wanted to change that.

He wanted them to be friends.

Friends could talk about the serious things, but friends could also talk about nothing as well. He wanted to talk about nothing with Blake.

"Enough about that," he said. "What's your favorite color?"

Blake blinked at him.

"What are you – why do you want to know that?" she asked, a little more defensively than he expected.

"I dunno. I don't really know that much about you. Other than, you know – so I thought I'd ask."

"And you want to know what my favorite color is?" she said in disbelief.

"Mine is gold," he offered first. "Though I also like white. I think white goes well with almost anything."

Blake continued to stare at him.

"This is what friends do, right? Get to know each other?"

She seemed surprised.

"You consider me a friend?"

"Yeah. You don't consider me one?"

"Er – I – I guess?" she answered, flustered. "I just thought…"

She trailed off.

"Thought what?" he asked. "I know we don't really hang out and talk much, but we've fought side by side, haven't we? My dad always used to say that you find your true friends on the battlefield. He also always said that all a guy needs is confidence but that one isn't working out so well, so maybe he was wrong about the first one as well," he laughed awkwardly.

Blake looked down at her lap. "My favorite color is purple."

Jaune perked up. "Oh?"

"But I also like black. I think black goes well with almost anything," she parroted him, smirking slightly.

"You aren't wrong. Black and white work well together," Jaune mused. "I guess that's why you wear so much of it."

Their eyes met as she looked up from her lap, and he grinned at her happily. A tentative smile graced her lips.

"You can ask me anything," he told her. "I'm ready for it."

Blake looked lost, wracking her brain for something to ask. She wasn't very good at this sort of thing.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"You could say that," Jaune rolled his eyes. "I have seven sisters."

Her eyes widened slightly. "You're lying."

"Trust me, I'm not. Here, let me show you."

Jaune pulled out his scroll and quickly logged into the family social media account on MyFace. A sea of pictures appeared and finding the best one, Jaune turned the screen to show her.

It was a slightly older photo from a few years before Saphron had moved to Argus, placing Jaune at around fourteen years old. As usual, he was mashed in the middle between seven blonde haired girls, at their mercy as they glomped him and beamed at the camera. His expression was one of extreme torment, clashing with the absolute joy his sisters exhibited.

Blake gaped.

"As you can see, I am severely outnumbered," Jaune pulled a face. "Do you have any idea how tough it is for a lone boy amongst that many girls?"

Blake shook her head in disbelief. "Your family is so big."

"Yeah, well – mom and dad are monsters."

When Blake recovered from her shock, Jaune asked her the same question even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

"What about you? Any brothers or sisters?"

Blake shook her head.

"No, I'm an only child. I… I always wanted a little brother, though."

"I understand more than you know," Jaune said grimly. "I'd love a little brother – or an older brother, or any brother."

Blake laughed – no, she giggled. The sound was so unexpected from a girl that Jaune would have claimed to fit the cool beauty archetype that he ended up gaping at her a little.

"What?" she asked self-consciously, frowning.

"Sorry, nothing," he shook his head. "Uh - favorite food?"

Blake hesitated. "Don't laugh."

"Don't – what? Why would I laugh?" Jaune shot her a confused look. "Is it something bad like those peppermint clusters that they pulled from shelves because they were, like, really bad for your teeth?"

She shook her head. "No. it's just… I like tuna."

Jaune blinked.

"Okay?"

Blake stared.

"I like tuna as well," Jaune said, shrugging. "I like salmon more but tuna is pretty good. Why would I laugh?"

A frustrated expression appeared on her face. "Jaune."

Was he missing something? Jaune wracked his brain and it took way longer than it should have, the lightbulb in his head almost exploding when it hit him. He perked up.

"Oooh," he palmed his face. "Right, I get it."

"You do?"

"Tuna is brain food, so you don't want people to think you're dumb."

"I – what?" Blake almost choked, incredulous. "That isn't it at all! I was saying don't laugh because tuna is a fish and I'm a—"

It was then that she spotted the smirk on his face. Her words died and she mouthed silently for a moment, brow furrowing.

"You're messing with me," she deadpanned.

Jaune snickered. "It took me a little while to get what you meant. Sorry."

Blake pouted and it was one of the cutest things he'd ever seen. He was forced to look away or fall victim to such a look. Had she been learning from Ruby or what?

"What's your favorite food, then?" she asked, grumpy.

"Burgers are my go to," he admitted. "Smash burgers, especially. Onion, cheese, and an egg. Can't beat it."

"Typical."

"What? What's typical?"

Blake grinned. "That was such a guy answer."

"Well, I am a guy. Despite the best efforts of my sisters. Anyway, tuna was such a…" he trailed off, thinking better of it

"Such a what?" she pressed shrewdly.

"...nevermind."

Blake snorted.

"Chicken."

"I prefer smart," he corrected, ignoring her smug look. "Hobbies?"

"Reading. You?"

"Same," Blake looked surprised. "Comics, mostly," he clarified. "What about you?"

"Books."

"What type?"

She shrugged. "Anything, really. Mysteries, fantasy, crime – as long as the story is good, I'm happy to read it."

"Any other hobbies?"

Blake thought it over, becoming very interested in her hands as they fiddled with the water bottle she was holding. "No…"

"That didn't sound very convincing."

She glared at him. "Fine. I… used to write. A little."

"Oh?"

"But I haven't in a long time," she continued. "Years now."

"What did you write?"

She looked away but Jaune caught the way her cheeks reddened. "Just things."

"Things?"

"That's all I'm saying."

Her tone brooked no argument.

"Okay, okay," he relented. "I also play video games. Ruby comes over a lot to play and we sorta just chill out."

Blake didn't face him again until her cheeks cooled down, and they went back and forth like this until the sky began to darken, afternoon into evening, and then approaching night. Jaune was having so much fun that he didn't even notice the time and neither did Blake.

He discovered that Blake liked wearing dresses but didn't own any because they'd been impractical for her. She also liked ice cream, though she didn't have a favorite flavor. She liked to try a different one every time and confessed that if anyone left a tub near her, she would eat the whole thing in no time. She also hated dogs. A lot.

"I guess that makes sense."

Blake sulked. "It isn't because… you know. I just don't like them."

Even though she said it, she didn't sound like she completely believed it.

Jaune was in the middle of sharing a story about his sisters when her scroll began ringing, quickly followed by his own. Checking the screen, he saw that Pyrrha was calling him.

He answered. Her face appeared and from the looks of it, she was in their room.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hello," she frowned for a second before her face cleared up, a smile replacing it. "I was just calling to see where you are. Have you even had dinner yet?"

"No, not yet. Sorry, I got caught up."

"Is that Jaune?" he heard the very familiar voice of Ruby exclaim from Blake's scroll. "Are you with him?"

"What was that?" Pyrrha asked, confused. "That sounded like Ruby."

"It was. Blake is with me. You guys called at the same time," Jaune grinned. "Anyway, I better go grab a bite to eat. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, see you soon," she replied, and the screen went black.

"I'm fine, we were just jogging," he heard Blake try to explain, no longer on speaker. "What? No, tell Yang to mind her own business. I'll be back soon, after I eat."

After a few more words, she hung up.

"Guess we were away a little too long," Jaune joked. "Want to grab a bite?"

Blake stood up and he followed suit. "Sure."

There was something that was bothering him, though. Something he should have asked her about sooner.

"Why'd you come looking for me, anyway?" he asked and he saw her shoulders tense slightly. "Not that I mind but… well, I had fun."

She was quiet as they walked and just when he thought she wasn't going to answer him, she said, "I don't know."

Jaune almost stopped walking. "You don't know?"

"I just wanted to talk to you, I guess."

They were silent the rest of the way to the dining hall.

Semblance of Emotion and Heat Culture will return on Thursday and Sunday respectively.

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