Cinder tugged at the end of her dress, straightening it out as she walked down the hallway towards Jaune's dorm. Despite having gotten very little sleep the night before, she had plenty of energy.

The day had finally come. Today, they would finally have some real time alone together, and if all went well, she'd have a date with him by the end of it.

She'd devoted almost the entirety of the last week to arranging this. Sure, it was a rather simple plan, but it could not go wrong. Everything had to be perfect for him. That meant staying in the safest part of town (not that she'd let him go anywhere dangerous in the first place), eating at the best restaurants, and of course, treating him like the prince he was. She'd have him on his knees begging for her by the end of it.

Cinder could hardly contain her excitement once she got to his dorm. Of course, she still had a good forty-five minutes before they were actually supposed to meet, but there was no point in waiting around, was there?

After knocking, she took a step back and waited for a few seconds. Getting no response, she stepped up to knock again but stopped when the door opened to reveal Jaune, looking absolutely divine in a simple collared shirt and jeans. Gods, he made everything look so good.

"Hello, Jaune," she said, beaming. "I know I'm a little early, but I really couldn't wait to meet up with you. Are you ready to leave yet?"

He seemed surprised to see her, but didn't turn her away. "O-oh, that's alright. I'm almost ready, but I still need to get a few things organized. Do you mind waiting for a minute or two?"

"Of course not. Take as much time as you need."

Jaune smiled at her and shut the door. "Thanks. I won't take too long."

Cinder shuffled on her feet, already eager for him to come back out. The voices coming from inside made her want to put her ear against the door and listen, but she didn't want to get caught spying on him. Couldn't let Nikos use anything like that to keep them apart, afterall.

A good minute passed when part of her started to consider knocking again, but luckily he came out before she got too impatient. Once again, he took her breath away.

How was it even possible for someone to look so good and be such an amazing person on top of that? She couldn't believe how lucky it was that he was still single. Of course, he probably had plenty of ex-girlfriends that she'd have to deal with at some point of another, but he obviously didn't have anyone as of now.

"Sorry about that," he said, "I must have had the time mixed up, thought we were meeting a little later. I didn't keep you waiting for too long, did I?"

Her heart started doing backflips in her chest. The first thing he'd thought of when he'd woken up was her!

"Oh, you didn't get anything mixed up, I just came to your dorm a little early." Cinder put her hand around his arm and began walking him down the hall towards the stairway. "The bullheads get going a little later today since it's the weekend, but we should be able to get one by the time we get down there."

Jaune nodded. "Right, and there probably won't be much of a wait this early in the day, either. Good thinking. And thanks for inviting me, by the way."

Cinder felt like she was about to explode. No way in hell would she make it to the end of this without losing it.

"Of course, Jaune. I want you here."

Just as they'd both predicted, almost nobody else was in the courtyard when they got there. Hopefully, it would be the same once they got back. She planned on returning late, that way they'd have as much time together as possible and there wouldn't be too many students around when they got back. Not as many distractions that way.

Jaune took a deep sigh as they boarded one of the bullheads, seeming almost nervous to get in. Cinder looked at him with worry. Surely, she hadn't already done something to make him feel uncomfortable with her?

"Are you alright, Jaune? You seem a bit tense."

"O-oh, sorry," he said, scratching at the back of his neck. "I, um, have motion sickness. It's not that bad, but it can make flying a little difficult, especially considering I just ate half an hour ago."

Cinder put her hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure it'll be alright. Just don't focus on it and you'll be fine."

It didn't take long for them to take off. She noticed him sway ever so slightly when they did, which of course meant she had to wrap her hands around his arm and pull him close to help keep him still.

"T-thanks," he said, red in the face.

"Just making sure you're alright."

Although the city was much more crowded than Beacon, in a way, it offered them more privacy. The people in Vale meant nothing to them, so even if they were, for some reason, interested in their conversation, she couldn't care less if they heard what they said to each other.

"Man, it's been a while since I was last here." Jaune looked at their surroundings with awe. "I've only visited on all but a few occasions, but it's managed to amaze me every single time. Then again, I'm from the middle of nowhere, so it's kind of easy to impress me."

Cinder raised her eyebrows. "Really? You haven't come here with your team?"

"Nope. Pyrrha doesn't usually like going out in public because people always swarm her, and since we normally do everything as a team, that means we mostly hang out on campus. Can't really say I blame her, though."

Her smirk grew with every word. Not only was the 'Invincible Girl' too scared to confess her feelings, but she didn't even want to go out in public with him. How exactly did she expect that to work out for her? Oh, well. Just yet another reason for him to pick Cinder.

"I see. I presume you visited with your family, then? How are they?"

Jaune's face lit up. "They're great. Wouldn't trade them for the world."

Cinder considered that for a second. She planned on trying to limit the amount of time he spent around his family, but he seemed to be attached to them. That would make that a more complicated process, especially considering how big his family was. His seven sisters likely would not want to let him go.

Of course, she wasn't actually supposed to know that he had seven sisters, but that wasn't important.

"What about you?" he asked, looking over at her. "Have you been before?"

"A few times, yes, but not in a while. Since neither of us know the city too well, why don't we explore a bit?"

Jaune shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

/-/

While she certainly didn't feel good about lying to him, it was far from unjustified. Her cover relied on her being a Haven student, one unfamiliar with Vale and its academy, so even if she did know the city like the back of her hand, it'd be better if he wasn't aware of that.

Besides, she could work that to her advantage. If they didn't have anywhere specific to be, they would be able to spend more time together. One day, he'd thank her for that.

Now, what to buy him? She'd considered getting him a watch or something fancy like that, but that didn't seem quite his style. A hoodie perhaps? He was usually wearing one, and she had a strange suspicion that he'd recently happened to lose one, so that could be a good idea.

"This looks like a nice place," she said, pointing to a clothing store across the street, one she'd picked out beforehand. "Why don't we check it out?"

Jaune followed her hand and looked to where she was pointing. "Sure, why not?"

The store they entered wasn't very big, but it still had a good inventory, so she was confident she could find something he liked.

"Are you going to buy anything, Jaune?"

"Eh," he said, shrugging, "I'll probably just look around. I don't have a ton of money, so I can't spend too much on anything non-essential."

Alarm bells started going off in her head. She was losing his interest! She needed to buy him something and move on before he got bored, or her chances with him would only get worse and worse.

"If that's the case, then let me get you something."

"Huh?" Jaune looked over at her, looking more confused than anything. "I mean, I appreciate it, but I seriously can't ask you to do that for me."

"It's nothing, Jaune," she said, waving that off. "I'm more than willing. Just point out something you like and I'll pay for it."

"Seriously, Cinder, that's super generous, but don't you think that's asking too much of you?"

"You're not asking anything of me, I'm offering." Cinder wandered over to where they kept their jackets and looked around. They were a bit pricey, but that meant nothing to her. Not when it came to her Jaune. "You wear hoodies a lot, don't you? Why don't I get you one of these?"

Jaune scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit she'd noticed whenever he got anxious or didn't know how to respond to something. "I, ah, I'm really flattered you're willing to do this for me, but you really don't have to."

"What if I want to?"

He didn't seem to have a response to that. He kept trying to argue, but apparently couldn't think of another way to reject her offer. "I- I mean, it's not like I don't want you to, but I just think-"

"Just let me buy you something, Jaune," she said, giggling.

Jaune sighed and slumped his shoulders. "You don't have to, you know."

"Well, I'm going to, so come help me pick something out or I'll just find something for you myself." Cinder pulled a plain black hoodie off the rack and held it up for him to see. "What about this one? I bet this'll look good on you. But then again," she said, winking, "You look good in everything."

A blush crept its way onto his face. "T-thanks."

Eventually, she managed to find something he liked and brought it to the register, despite his continued protesting. Being the modest person that he was, he kept insisting that she didn't need to do anything like that for him, but that just wasn't true. Besides, he needed to get used to receiving gifts from her.

The two of them left the store, Jaune carrying his new hoodie under his arm. "You really shouldn't have, but thank you."

"It was nothing. Seeing you smile made it more than worth it," she said, grinning.

Jaune looked down at the ground, blushing, and scratched the back of his neck. "O-oh, that's… that's really nice of you," he said, chuckling.

Her heart fluttered. This was going exactly how it was supposed to! He'd accepted her gift, seen how kind she could be, and was genuinely enjoying himself! If the rest of their time together stayed on this course, he'd be as good as her's.

"Like I said, it was nothing."

The rest of their morning went by smoothly. They got lunch at a quaint little place a bit a ways away from the clothing store, which he seemed to enjoy. Of course, she paid for it in full, despite Jaune once again putting up a fight.

It was fantastic. Perfect. If there was a heaven, it couldn't compare to how she felt with him. Every time she fixed her gaze on him, he smiled back at her with this look of contentment, like he really wanted to be there with her. Nobody had ever made her feel truly special like this before.

Part of her wanted to take her chances and confess early, but she couldn't risk it quite yet. Not until the rest of the day was over. The more time he spent having fun with her, the more likely he was to say yes.

Eventually, once they felt they'd spent enough time exploring the city, they decided to get dinner together. Jaune wanted to eat early so that he could get back to his team before they got worried, and she supposed that was alright with her. That was just who he was, showing consideration even to those who didn't deserve it.

This, of course, was the most important part of their day together. Cinder planned on asking him out soon after, so it needed to go well. She couldn't have him walking away from this having had a bad experience because of the last ninety minutes or so.

The restaurant she chose wasn't anything too grand, but it certainly had some level of sophistication that the average place didn't. She wanted to save the best for their dates together.

"This place sure is nice," he said, taking a seat at their table. "Can't say we had anything like this back home."

She loved how easy it was to impress him. It just made him that much more attainable.

"You make it sound like you didn't have much of anything in your hometown," she said, smiling amusedly.

"I guess I didn't. We lived way out in the country, so if you wanted something fancy you'd have to drive a few hours. There were a few family-owned restaurants, sure, but they were far from extravagant. What about you?"

Cinder stiffened, unprepared for the question. "What about me?"

Jaune continued to stare at her, awaiting a response. "Yeah, what about you? Where'd you grow up?"

For some reason, she hadn't expected the question. Sure, he knew that she grew up without her parents, but other than that, he didn't have any information. For all he knew, she could've had just as great a childhood as him. It really shouldn't have taken her off-guard.

"I grew up in Atlas. It… wasn't all that great. Not much to talk about, really."

"S-sorry," he said, stuttering, "I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject or anything like that."

Cinder shook her head. "Don't apologize. I know it wasn't on purpose."

The two of them sat there for a few seconds, silent, as Cinder thought over her next move.

Come to think of it, there was something to be gained from having that conversation. Sympathy points, if you will. Afterall, how could he possibly reject the sweet, poor girl who'd suffered such awful abuses?

Of course, she did run the risk of making him feel uncomfortable by dumping all that on him, but more likely he'd just want to comfort her, which was exactly what she wanted.

Well, the reward certainly outweighs the risk… Perhaps I should take the chance?

Cinder looked off to the side, trying to appear unsure of herself. "Can I… confide in you about something?"

Jaune blinked. "Huh? O-oh, yeah, of course."

"I… didn't exactly have a very good childhood," she said, clearing her throat. "My parents weren't in the picture, as you know, and my foster family was… unkind, to put it lightly." Jaune looked at her with concern, but let her talk. She had to stop herself from grinning. "The woman who adopted me essentially forced me to work for her, and her daughters made it their mission to torment me. They… abused me, made sure I felt worthless, and didn't even allow me a bed. I escaped after a while, but even then, I had to fend for myself on the streets. For a while, I considered giving up. Looking back, getting a spot in Haven… that might have been the first truly good thing to ever happen to me."

Cinder buried the upper half of her face into her sleeve, pretending to hide tears that weren't really there. "S-sorry, I… I haven't… I haven't really told anyone this before, and… I-I'm sorry to dump that on you."

Honestly, it was hard not to feel impressed with herself. If the look on Jaune's face was anything to go by, she'd sold the act perfectly.

Jaune paused, trying to think of something to say. "I'm… so sorry to hear that." They sat there for a few seconds in silence. "Look, I… I don't really know what to say, but just know that you're not alone anymore. I'm here for you if you want me to be."

Cinder's heart pounded in her ears. Even when he had every right to dismiss her, to ignore her and change the subject, he instead chose to show the utmost empathy. Even though he couldn't possibly know what she'd gone through, he still made her feel understood.

Her breathing got heavy as she tried her best to hide her happiness.

"Are you… alright?" Jaune looked off to the side, breaking eye contact. "S-sorry, that was a stupid question."

"Jaune, please. Don't apologize. None of this was even remotely your fault." Cinder put on her best sad smile and reached over the table to grab his hand. "If anything, it's nice to have someone to talk to about this. Thank you."

Jaune smiled back at her. "Of course, Cinder. I'm just glad I could make you feel a little better."

Cinder was riding high for the rest of dinner.

/-/

The sun was about to set by the time they arrived at the park. After walking around for a short while, they found a small, secluded area and sat down at a nearby bench.

Her nerves were starting to get to her. Part of her refused to believe it would be as simple as asking. She'd spent years working to make sure that this could happen, and now that she had the perfect opportunity, and all she had to do was ask, it just seemed too easy.

Still, she wasn't going to back out any time soon. This meant everything to her, and she wasn't going to let anything stop her.

"I had a really nice time with you, Jaune," she said, sliding closer to him.

"Yeah, I had a good time, too."

She put her hand on his shoulder, staring into his eyes. "I know it's only been a week or so, but I really feel like you understand me. I…" Cinder stopped. A voice deep in the back of her mind spoke up.

What if he doesn't feel the same way?

No. Now was not the time to doubt herself. She could not dance around the topic or even think about backing out. If he was going to be her's, she had to make her feelings and intentions as clear as possible.

"I… Listen, I…"

She couldn't get the words out. She wanted to, needed to, but for the life of her, she just couldn't.

Jaune looked at her with worry. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I am, I just…" Cinder took a deep breath. "I really like you."

She didn't realize how nervous she actually was until she said it. Her stomach was in knots as she crossed her legs to stop them from shaking and waited for him to respond.

"Thanks," he said, smiling, "I really like you too."

Cinder pursed her lips. He accepted that too easily, like he didn't really know what she was telling him. She knew he was dense, sure, but was he seriously this convinced that all she wanted was a platonic friendship?

"I…" Her words got caught in her throat. He really was making this harder than it should have been.

Just tell him! You have nothing to worry about, and it's not like he's going to reject you. Just don't have a breakdown and everything will go just as you've always imagined it!

"I mean romantically," she said, turning back towards him. Jaune stared at her as if she spoke a different language. "I think there's something really special between us, and I was…" Cinder almost froze up again, but managed to power through. "I was wondering if you'd let me take you out on a date?"

Her beloved sat there, completely still. "You… want to go out on a date with me?"

All she could do was nod, barely able to look him in the eye.

"O-oh. Well… I can't say I expected that," he said, laughing.

Her stomach dropped. Did he not feel the same way? Surely, after all she'd done to make sure he'd love her back, he couldn't possibly reject her, right?

Jaune smiled, his face tinted red. "Sure, Cinder. I'd love to go out with you."

Relief washed over her as she let out a shaky breath she didn't realize she was holding, her muscles finally relaxing.

See? He did have feelings for her! How could she have ever doubted that?

"Great! I can start planning our date right when I get back to my dorm, or if you have something in mind, I'll really don't mind letting you-" Cinder stopped to gather her composure and took a deep breath. "S-sorry," she said, smiling ear to ear. "I just… it feels like I've been waiting forever to tell you this."

Jaune chuckled. "That's quite alright. I probably would've reacted the same way," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

Her body and heart urged her to jump on top of him right then and there. She finally had him! After all this time, she'd finally gotten the one thing she'd ever wanted!

Images of their future together flashed through her mind as she stared at him. She just couldn't take her eyes off of him, especially now that he was her's. Officially, that is. He'd always been her's, but now that they were about to start their life together, it was irrefutable. He belonged to her.

Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Everything except her beloved seemed to fade away into nothingness.

He's mine! He loves me back! Now we can finally be together!

"You, ah… you alright?"

Cinder snapped out of it and noticed her right arm shaking. "Of course," she said, grabbing it with her other arm. "I'm just happy is all."

For the love of Oum, just keep your composure until you're at least back at Beacon!

Jaune blushed. "R-right." Oum, how could anyone possibly look away from that face? "Well, we should probably get going back to Beacon soon."

Cinder closed her eyes and put her head on his shoulders, leaning into him and causing him to freeze up. "Why don't we wait here a little longer?"

"..."

"... Jaune?"

"O-oh, yea, let's, uh… y-yea. That's fine. Great, even!" he said, his blush deeping.

Cinder giggled. He was just so cute when he got nervous.

She stayed there hugged up against him for a while longer, not wanting to let him go just yet. His body felt so warm, so comforting. Sitting there, leaned up against him, it really seemed like nothing could go wrong.

Their surroundings were much the same when she opened her eyes. The sun had gotten lower, obviously, but they were still mostly isolated in their little corner of the park, outside one other person who'd wandered in at some point and sat not too far from them. Some short girl with black hair, no one to be concerned about.

She almost disregarded her completely, but noticed she was staring at them. That made sense, though. The girl probably just saw how close she and Jaune were and felt jealous of her.

Just ignore her. Enjoy the moment, you've earned it.

Cinder wanted to do just that, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Looking over, she saw that the girl was still staring at them. At her.

She glared back at the girl, figuring that would get her to mind her own business, but it had the opposite effect. In response, she just smiled and leaned her head against her hand.

It was subtle, unnoticeable to the average person, but something was off about her. She looked like she'd just uncovered some big secret and couldn't be more satisfied with it, not like some innocent little girl who just happened to have a habit of sticking her nose into other people's business.

It was probably nothing, though. Just her being paranoid. Jaune's safety was quite important, afterall.

Still, she just couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to it than that…

Cinder narrowed her eyes, looking towards the girl, who sat not forty feet across from her. She watched as she leaned forward, meeting her gaze, and slowly blinked. When she opened her eyes, she revealed a mismatching set of eyes, one brown and one pink.

She was on her feet within the second. As soon as she stood, Roman's little crony shattered like glass, disappearing.

Shit…

"Excuse me for a moment," she said, turning to Jaune. "I need to use the restroom. This shouldn't take too long."

Cinder didn't even wait for a response before dashing off, running across that route that led back to the main part of town.

Neo was evasive, but she couldn't have gotten far. Unfortunately, though, her semblance was practically perfect for hiding in plain sight. If she wanted to find her, she'd have to see through whatever disguise she put up to avoid being caught.

Still, she had to try. She'd seen her with Jaune. If she wasn't dangerous before, she certainly was now.

Shit, shit, shit…

Cinder turned the corner and saw a small crowd of people walking through the streets. There probably weren't more than fifty, but each and every one of them could have been Neo.

Scanning the road, she saw the same black hair and blue eyes that had followed her and Jaune into the park and immediately gave chase. The girl broke into a thousand pieces and vanished, reappearing at the end of the street and turning the corner. Cinder sprinted after her.

When she caught up, she saw Neopolitan, undisguised, standing in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Cinder stopped and stared back at her, waiting for her to make a move. She never did. She didn't have to, either. Only an idiot would try killing someone in the middle of the city around so many people.

Realizing that she wasn't leaving anytime soon, Cinder walked up to her and stood close enough so that she had to look down to see her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she said, spitting the words out.

Neo just smirked. She might have not been able to talk, but her demeanor alone was enough to make her want to put a knife through her throat.

Cinder put her hands on her hips and glanced around. "I'll make this quick. What you saw here is going to stay here," she said, leaning down at her and glaring. "If this gets back to Roman, or anyone else for that matter, I'm going to kill him and then kill you. And don't even think you can hurt him, because if you do, I'll make sure there's nothing left to identify you with. Are we clear?"

Neo's expression didn't change. She was tempted to set her ablaze right then and there.

I have to leave. Jaune probably expects me back before long.

"Well, I'd just love to stay and talk, but unfortunately, I have business elsewhere at the moment. Just know I'll be watching you," she said, turning over to Neo one more time before heading back to where she came from.

Fuck… Now Mercury and Neo both know about Jaune, and I have to spend time making sure she keeps her dirty little hands off of him. At least with Mercury I found a way to use it to my advantage.

Cinder walked with clenched fists back to where she'd left Jaune, trying to calm herself down.

Fuck, fuck, fuck…

He couldn't see her like this. He'd know something was wrong, and she wanted to avoid worrying him as much as she possibly could.

Luckily, her temper calmed down as soon as she saw him. He looked so happy, smiling to himself as he sat on that bench. She still felt worried, but it was impossible for her to be angry when she saw that smile.

"Are you ready to head back to Beacon?" she asked, walking up next to him.

Jaune beamed, making her heart melt. "Yeah, let's go."

/-/

Cinder was starting to feel much better by the time they got off the bullhead. Sure, Neo knowing about her relationship with Jaune was far from ideal, but one way or another, she'd keep her in line.

Besides, she'd just gotten a date with Jaune! Now all she had to do was avoid messing it up or dragging him into her plans. How hard could that be?

Oh, she could not wait to see Nikos' face when the news got back to her, the pure despair when she realized that the perfect man had been taken away from her, all because she was too scared to make a move. Maybe she'd get really lucky and the redhead would accept defeat and finally fuck off.

"I had an amazing time tonight," she said, holding his hand. The fact that he let her do that, along with how bright the moon was above them, made the scene all the more romantic.

"I did, too," he said, his face still tinted red. He hadn't stopped blushing since she asked him out, and she found that absolutely adorable. "I'm looking forward to doing this again."

"Likewise, Jaune."

They took the stairway up to the dorms, stopping by his first. The last thing she wanted to do at that moment was say goodbye, but she doubted he could be convinced to come back with her to her room. Besides, that would also mean finding a reason to make Emerald and Mercury leave.

"So," he said, his hand on the doorknob, "When do you wanna… go out?" He spoke hesitantly, like he still wasn't sure that that's what they were doing.

"As soon as you're able to. Do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"I'll be training with my team then, but I'm free for next weekend. That work for you?"

Cinder beamed. "Of course."

"Great. I'll see you later then?"

"I'll be counting the minutes." She meant that in much more literal terms than he probably realized.

Jaune opened the door and walked in. Just before he shut it, she saw Nikos jump out of bed, probably all worked up about him being gone again.

Slut.

Walking back to her own dorm, the full weight of the situation finally hit her.

She'd gotten a date.

With Jaune.

Her sweet, beloved, perfect, amazing Jaune had agreed to go out on a date with her.

Cinder's knees felt like jelly. Her breathing got unsteady and her legs started shaking, threatening to buckle out from under her. She felt dizzy, too. Everything around her started spinning.

Despite feeling like the world was melting around her, she managed to stumble into a bathroom and lock the door behind her. She put her back against the wall and slid down onto the floor, her vision becoming blurry. How was it possible for him to have such an effect on her?

It took effort to even think straight. The burning feeling in her chest – one she'd become most familiar with since finding him – had become unbearably strong. The rest of her body went completely numb.

We're together now! Oh Oum, we're together now!

She could hardly see now, tears obscuring her vision as they streamed down her face. The ringing in her ears got louder and louder. It felt like she'd been electrocuted.

Cinder rushed to the toilet, kneeled in front of it, and threw up.

/-/

Pyrrha looked down at her bedsheets, unable to look Nora in the eye. The current topic wasn't exactly one she particularly enjoyed discussing.

"Come on, Pyrrha! He won't be on the market forever, you gotta tell him!" Her teammate was practically yelling in her face, but at this point, she'd given up on trying to get her to quiet down.

"I'm not waiting forever," she retorted, biting her fingernail, "I'm just… you know… looking for the right time."

"Yea, yea, you've only used that excuse a million times." Nora climbed up onto her bed from the end of it so that she sat directly across from her. "I think you're missing the point here. Jaune is out with another girl right now while you're sitting here at the dorm!"

"Inside voice, Nora," Ren said from the other side of the room.

"Yes, Rennie!" she said, now speaking in a normal volume. Why did she only listen when Ren told her? "Anyways, as I was saying, you need to get your act together before this Cinder girl takes him, and not just for your sake, but for Jaune's."

Pyrrha raised her eyebrows. "For Jaune's sake? Nora, I get what you're trying to do, and I appreciate the encouragement, but this isn't some selfless cause to save him from her or anything like that."

"Oh, but it is." Nora spoke so confidently that she almost believed her without any explanation. "Listen, Pyrrha, this girl just screams 'crazy girlfriend.' If you sit back and let her and Jaune become a couple, things are gonna go bad for him. Trust me, I know these things."

"Look, I may not like her much either, but don't you think that may be a bit of an overreaction?"

"Come on, think about it!" she said, interrupting her. "You caught her stalking him-"

"I'm pretty sure she was looking at me, Nora."

"Details, details. As I was saying, you caught her stalking him, she got all pissed off when you cut in on their conversation, she's all touchy with him despite only knowing him for a few days, I could go on. I'm telling you, she's bad news!"

"W-well, I trust Jaune's judgment. If she was that bad, he wouldn't want anything to do with her."

Nora deadpanned. "Really? We're talking about the guy who spent months going after Weiss Schnee. He's one of my best friends, too, but come on."

"Weiss isn't that bad," she mumbled.

"Oh really? Everybody in here who likes Weiss, raise your hand!" Pyrrha looked back down at her bedsheets. Ren just shrugged. "See? We have three people in here, and zero who like Weiss. That's zero percent, so nobody likes her."

"I don't think-"

"Anyways, we're getting off-track." Despite only being a few feet away from her, Nora pointed towards Pyrrha, shoving her finger in front of her face. "You need to confess, and soon! Starting tonight, there will be no more dilly-dallying! As soon as you find an opportunity, you will take it and you will get a date with Jaune, whether you like it or not!"

Pyrrha swallowed. "O-okay, you're right. I'll talk to him once I get the chance."

"Nope! Not good enough!" Nora was back to shouting. "You're not going to wait for anything, you're going to pull him aside, dragging him if you have to, and tell him how you feel! And you'll do it tomorrow!"

"Yes, you're right," she said, sitting up a little straighter, "I will- wait, tomorrow!?"

"Yup! Tomorrow. And I'm going to be there to watch and make sure you don't chicken out! Aren't I such a supportive friend?"

Pyrrha slumped back over. "Do I have to do it tomorrow? Surely we can find another time?"

"Nope! Tomorrow is perfect! We'll be spending the day training together as a team, remember? Me and Rennie will just give you two some space for a few minutes and you can tell him then!"

Nora spoke like it was such an easy thing to do. If she had half that confidence, she would've confessed months ago.

"Okay… I'll try."

"Listen," Nora said, closing the distance between them, "You are Pyrrha Nikos. The Pyrrha Nikos I know does not try, she does. So are you going to try asking him out or are you going to ask him out?"

Pyrrha sat straight again and closed her eyes, gathering as much confidence as she could. "You're right… I'm going to ask him out. Tomorrow."

Saying it certainly felt all good and easy, but she had a feeling actually doing it would be a bit harder. Nora seemed satisfied, though.

"That's the spirit! Say it again!"

"I'm going to ask Jaune out. Tomorrow. I'm going to tell him that I-"

Without warning, she was interrupted by the sound of the door opening, making her jump out of bed. Jaune stood in the doorway, looking at the three of them.

"Sorry I'm a little late, guys," he said, shutting the door behind him. "What did I miss?"

Pyrrha tried her best to look nonchalant. "Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Jaune raised his eyebrows. "Um… alright then? I'm going to get in the shower."

"Yup! You go do that! Have fun!" Pyrrha noticed the rest of her team staring at her, Nora looking wholly unimpressed and Jaune looking flat out confused.

Oh brother gods. She was going to be the first person to ruin her confession a full day before it even happened.