Troubled Hearts: Closer Than You Think

"So you're sure you haven't been sulking about for the last few days and just seeing things? Because that girl sounds an awful lot like someone Yang fought on that train."

Jaune stood just outside the cafe, milling about in his usual way after a solid day's work. Well, what passed for work for him. "I'm sure, she looked like she was in trouble with these two men who looked an awful lot like some of the gangsters around town. So I try and make it look like she has company, and it works." He left out the fact that she took care of both men somehow, and the fact that she did some strange illusion thing.

Nora shook her head, the short sprightly girl trying to piece together his strange encounter. Her mind was probably running full tilt with all manner of reasons. "But you said she didn't say a thing?"

Jaune shook his head. "We just sat, she ate some food and ice cream... which I got a little of... and then got up and walked out."

Her eyes lit up, and a mischievous grin crept onto her face. "You didn't say she gave you a treat."

Uh oh. "She was just being nice!"

Ren preemptively grabbed Nora's shoulder, holding the fiery little woman back with a small effort. She didn't stop though. "Girls don't just give up sugary treats like that Jaune. It's one of the signs!"

"You're done with your work today, right Jaune? I think we'll get back to what's left of ours," Ren declared, pulling a now squirming Nora with him, "we'll see you soon."

"Oh he's done because he's a 'leader' and they don't do anything but some paperwork! Why do you have to ruin everything Ren? I was just trying to-" And they rounded a corner out of earshot.

It was true, he didn't have much work to do. They asked him to help with refugee counts and some other documents, maybe move some boxes. Jaune was eager enough, but the people in charge said he and the other team leaders should focus on themselves. In case the Grimm attacked again. So he'd get by with little things, moving heavy loads for some of the shop keepers, taking a post so a guard could see someone. It was the least he could do.

A light weight pulled his hand down, something that felt quite like a Scroll occupying what was empty space. Jaune took a look at the new object inhabiting his hand, and was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to indeed be a Scroll. Opening it up, the words from a message sending program flashed on-screen. 'She's not wrong, it is one of the signs.' W-what? Why do I have this? Why does it know what we were just talking about?

A light finger brushed along his back, sending lightning up and down with the sensation. Whipping around, he came eye to hair with a familiar color combination. Looking lower, he met the dual hued eyes of Neo, or Neopolitan as her full name went. The same tight fitting and stylish clothing adorned her as the last time they met. She smiled up to him, lightly pulling the scroll from his hand and opening the device. Fingers flew across the screen before she handed it back to Jaune with a wink.

'Your friend seems like she knows something about you, something you haven't shared yet?'

"Uh, I don't think so. She's just saying the same things she's always said to me. And what about you? Why didn't you do this when I was sitting with you at that diner?"

More furious finger tapping. 'I just thought about it, it isn't easy not being able to talk.'

"So... you aren't mad at me for interrupting your meal and trying to help?"

'I didn't say I was mad, did I?'

Jaune just stood there and let the irony of the statement wash over him. "Right, that would make a little sense. So what's up? I thought I'd see you again, but not... well, not out in the middle of the street."

Neo's face crinkled a little in thought, the slight shadows accentuating a soft face. 'Well, I wanted to say thank you for the other day. And if you wanted to go back there for lunch? The ice cream was quite good.' She gave him a slight smile as he read the words.

"Sure, but I'm gonna have to go home afterward. They asked all the leaders to start formulating some plan or another in case a million different things happen." He shook his head in exasperation. "I've always wondered why they made me a leader... and why I still am."

Neo began walking as soon as he handed the device back to her. She sauntered down the street, a slight wiggle to her hips catching Jaune's eyes. Why are you even looking there man? He brought his head back up and stared straight ahead, walking stiff legged behind the short woman. She looked back at him and gave him a light, playful smile before turning back to her Scroll. A light clatter of typing sounded before she flipped the device into the air, and Jaune stumbled around to catch it.

'You don't seem very comfortable mister smooth operator. Where's that bravado I saw the other day?'

Neo was staring into his face as he finished reading, and the heat rose swiftly on his cheeks as the implications began reaching him. Jaune tried to look away as he returned the little device once more, trying to hide the red in his cheeks. Her face erupted into a great smile as she skipped a little ahead of him, the wiggle back in spades. Oh, why do I have to be so weak? I'm sorry. Jaune had lamented that day for the last two weeks, and only recently gotten back to sense of normalcy. Still, a new face was welcome to hold back the constant pain.

The Scroll once again was placed in his hands. 'I uh I don't know where this place was. Can you take the lead?' Jaune looked up to see Neo's large peculiar eyes repeating the request.

"Sure, it's a little ways away, but that just gives us more time to talk." And he took the lead, striding as confidently as he could next to the strange woman who had found him once more. The city around them, or what was crammed into half a city of a city, was vibrant and upbeat. The worries that Jaune held seemed to melt away at the sight of so many people going about there day, strolling down streets bustling with stands and shops.

"It's almost like the attack didn't happen."

The Scroll was balancing on his shoulder. Okay, I get it, you're that good.

'I know, Cinder didn't think she'd be able to crush their spirits so easily.'

The words cut to the bone, Jaune remembering what the goons from that night had said. He kept pace, trying to think of what to say, how to confront the inevitable reality that he was with a possible criminal. Or worse. Neo just kept walking by his side, the same light shake still rolling along her body that Jaune had to keep ignoring. No! Bad! Still, they had come after her. And she'd taken care of them without breaking a sweat.

"So you know Cinder then?"

'I didn't know her, but she talked enough for me to understand her. A wicked woman. But a driven one nonetheless.' She seemed to be deeper in thought as he read the message, sussing out anything she may have forgotten.

"So how did you know her? Were you..." Jaune let silence carry the last part of his question.

'No, I was just a tag-along for a deal.' She snatched the Scroll and loudly smashed in a few more words. 'A bad deal.'

His heart settled down a little at her words. Neo was still associated with that she-devil, but at least it was at some fringe arrangement that she has no love for anymore. They walked in silence for a while, Jaune slowly falling into the rhythm of walking without thought. It'd served him well in the long nights of fall. But now he had company, an intruder in the usual wanderings that lead him to all parts of the safe zone. Or a diner where he might just find a good drink before heading to bed.

The soft tendril of a finger slowly crawling across his under arm brought him back to the present, and Jaune looked over to Neo pouting with her only voice in hand. Oops, guess I was kinda drifting along there. Taking the small rectangle in hand, he tried to apologize with a smile. Neo seemed to accept it, calmly waiting for him to read the message she'd written.

'So what's bothering you? Your friend may talk like that normally, but she did seem to be alluding to something.'

"She's just concerned I guess. It's been a hard couple of weeks, but there isn't anything she can do."

'Can we talk about it?'

The diner was just a short ways off, and Jaune felt he would rather talk it out over a drink. Motioning to the building, he briskly walked in front, wanting to get a decent seat in the back where he could have some privacy with Neo. Sitting at a booth, Jaune waved over a young man and ordered a light, frothy soda. Neo pointed out a half sandwich, then flipped through the menu to indicate a super deluxe sundae. I guess she really wasn't kidding when she said she liked the ice cream.

Leaning back, Jaune let his body and mind rest a little while collecting his thoughts. Neo slid the Scroll across the table. 'So what's on your mind?'

"It's someone, someone who was near and dear to me," Jaune breathed, finding the words as they slowly arrived. "I had been so careless for so long, and then we were just about to get away. She finally let me know before going. And I just can't... it's hard, losing someone you care about."

Neo lowered her eyes, taking the Scroll in hand and holding it tight to her chest. A few tears dropped onto her lap as she opened it and slowly tapped on the screen. Finishing, she gently set it on his side of the table and sat downcast. 'I know. I'm alone too. He left when the ship in the sky fell.'

Jaune read the line, then reread it, before finally letting the full weight sink onto him. The woman before him had suffered in much the same way he had. A hard life, that was what he had in store for him. And here another who was on the opposite side of the conflict he'd been unceremoniously thrust into was confiding in him. This is crazy, you're crazy. But... who cares. We all need each other eventually.

He slowly reached across and, taking Neo's hand in his own, placed her voice inside and closed her fingers around it. She gazed into his eyes, the breadth of emotions running across her face as the tears slowed. Jaune held that hand unmoving for a long moment, finally flinching at last. The illusion began evaporating and he held on until the last wisps flew away. His soda arrived, and he took it in hand before paying the balance on the food they'd ordered. The boy gave him a puzzled look as he got up to leave, and Jaune reassured him that it would be eaten.

His wallet felt much lighter, the super deluxe sundae well deserving of the name for its price.

Staring, that was what he was doing after all, staring up at the ceiling in his room. A squat little room, probably from some hotel for the more well to do travelers in Vale. It didn't matter now, it was his and a large number of other leader's home for the time being. Jaune had lain in the bed for a good hour now, letting the day wash over him and swirl in his mind. Why do I feel like this? I barely know her. And what I do know points to all the wrong things.

A light click emanated from the door, and Jaune sat up to look at who could possibly be bothering him at this late hour. He watched it slowly open and watched as the figure before him stepped through the threshold before shutting the portal. Tall, statuesque, and terrifying. The person wore a slick black dress to the floor, but it was the head that bothered him the most. A collar pulsating blue wrapped around the figure's neck, and further up an ornate Grimm mask concealed the face.

And the shock of brilliant red hair that escaped from behind the neck and down the back. It was almost like her's.

"W-what's going on?"

The figure strode forward, a walk full of confidence and strength. And as odd as it sounds, longing. The type of walk that Jaune had seen guards receive when they came back from patrol. But it wasn't time for that now, he reached for his sword, his shield, anything to possibly defend himself. He slipped a hand around the hilt of his sword and pulled it free. Bringing it to bear, he tried to ward off the approaching figure. Unseen forces flung it away to pierce deeply into the wall.

Distinct feminine curves appeared as she drew closer, the figure now beginning to saunter in a very familiar way. Brushing a hand across the bedpost, she stood at the foot of the bed and stared at Jaune from behind carved chitin. Is she... but it couldn't be. A long, black swaddled leg swung up, sliding onto the cover with a slow and deliberate sweep. And with it, came the entire slithering person. Jaune slowly backed into the corner, but it wasn't going to stop her. Hands came crawling toward him, and a faint smile showed underneath her cover.

"Pyrrha?"

A loud thunk echoed from the door, and the figure's collar turned a bright, steady red. Slowly backing away, she straightened upward stiffly at the edge of the bed before walking out in a similar manner. Jaune sat for a moment as the person who he could swear was Pyrrha stepped outside his room and looked to either side. Then she walked off, and like that he was alone again. But why? Why are you back again? He got up, letting the adrenaline that had slowly built up during the encounter bleed out.

Numbly he walked over to the doorway, peeking out to look down the hallway. An old man was walking off to his left and there was no sign of Pyrrha. I guess I can't deny how much she reminded me of her. Jaune stepped a little further out and felt cold plastic stick to his bare foot. Lifting it up, he peeled off the small rectangle of a Lien card. Down below, a further four cards lay scattered. The exact amount he'd paid for the food and ice cream earlier. Oh. And her. Yeah.

And so he picked up the Lien cards, turned around, and decided to end this strange day before it got stranger.

Neo watched silently, as always, from the nook she'd picked out for herself. An illusion masked her presence while she peered at Jaune's doorway, pondering what to do. The woman from earlier was long gone, and it still bothered Neo that she had simply walked up to his door before simply opening it. He locked it, she had remembered that from when he'd gotten in from the long walk she'd watched. So why was this woman able to do that? The only way was if she could pick the lock without touching it. And that wasn't something she thought anyone could do.

As for Jaune, he was something Neo found herself thinking more and more about. The calm demeanor, the soulful way he spoke about everything. But I hardly know him, we've talked maybe an hour altogether. Still, she couldn't let it go, which was why Neo found herself standing outside his room after throwing the Lien cards at the door. She'd wanted to pay him back after all, it wasn't everyday she got to eat something that scrumptious. But that woman had... no, she still wasn't going to let him know they were so close. The woman was just a convenient excuse, a way to not have to confront her feelings.

Neo let the illusion vanish as she walked down the hallway, back to her room. Her heart said to stay, maybe to attack the problem head on. But her head won out.

The vast cloud of orange-red was still drifting around in her head, threatening to send her off on another slew of mind linked memories. Salem, you warned me about the wearer's emotions. You didn't warn me about how much they'd intrude. Cinder lay awake as she fondled the bracelet on her wrist, trying to speed up Pyrrha's return to their room. She'd been asleep for a few hours when the... thoughts... of that boy started interrupting her dreams. It wasn't until they turned slightly... salacious that she sprang bolt upright to search out her thrall.

That had been a few minutes ago, and now she calmly lay in her gown, waiting for the chance to return to sleep. The lock clicked open, the door slowly opening and closing as her room mate stiffly walked to her mat, her collar rapidly pulsing red. That's right, I am quite displeased at the moment. Pyrrha sat on the sturdy piece of foam, staring at her controller with blank eyes and Grimm mask. The fog shifted slightly, back to a reddish haze.

"Don't get snippy with me, you got to enjoy that jaunt over to his room. Which is also nice to know that he's right here." The menace in her voice was palpable.

A flighty pink wisp drifted on the red fog, and Cinder felt the laughing that Pyrrha would be bellowing out if she were free. Oh, so you're figuring out how to manipulate this, huh? The pink died off to a yellow haze, the contemplation intensely burrowing through Cinder's mind. Emotion had a powerful effect, but it was normally suppressed by the collar and the bracelet. Only those emotions that were intense enough could break through and affect the controller. That, and mine going back to her. I am getting quite tired of her leaving crucial details out.

"Now, thanks to your foray, I'm thinking we'll take our time tomorrow. I need some sleep without your... urges." Cinder Fall was a patient woman, but it was far too soon after a successful mission to be suffering set backs. Or distractions.

A green mist flared up, gripped in the same orange-red as before. Oh, you think I feel that way? Answering flows of fog confirmed her suspicions and, strangely enough, they were mocking in feel. You really think I care about this frivolity? More pink invaded as Cinder let her mind calm, not wanting to be drawn into an argument over a boy. A handsome boy. Someone who had earned the hand of... no, this line of thought would not continue. Pink flooded the very depths of her mind, and her face grew hot. From embarrassment and Power.

She flicked her fingers, and the glass of water by Pyrrha's mat boiled. "I will not be trifled with, his life is... in my hands." The words were right, but the meaning came out all wrong. Silent laughter followed her into the comfort of dreams, dreams that are best not described. All I want is to become something more. A boy isn't going to change that. Even if he did have striking eyes. The heat on her face remained, but her Power dissipated. It was going to be a long night.