Troubled Hearts: Deeds Done and Deals Made

Darkness enveloped him, curling around his senses as he drifted along into another passing moment. A bright red clouded his vision, shifting and formulating until the being stood before him in resplendent glory. It was beautiful, hauntingly beautiful with long raven hair and a stance that beckoned him. She, for it could only be a she now, strode toward where he stood formless and drifting in the never ending blackness. Reaching his presence, the beautiful creature reached and grasped at his neck. A sudden shift. And she was lightly placing lips to his while strangling the life from him.

As quickly as she appeared the beauty was gone, replaced with only a hint of the red and a new line traced against inky nothingness. It undulated and rolled along, tracing another form that was altogether more familiar. Like a long lost breath she stepped out of the lines and took shape. She moved with a grace and elegance that belied her normal demeanor, the cat that would rather be the mouse. She slinked up to him, placing a hand on a cheek that he could sense was taking more shape than before. He looked at her, a pleading in his eyes. And she turned away, letting the hand slip as well.

Again Jaune Arc floated, a form in the void of nothing that he could call his own mind. Or perhaps even his dreams, if this was what it was. Jaune had never really had a dream that he could think within, but these were strange times he was living in. Once more colors washed together, this time a creamy white and lush pink. They coalesced into a small ball, vibrating into limbs and shapes before ultimately resembling another he'd known. She got up from her huddled place, stretching short arms outward while pulling as much height from tip toes. Looking his way, she walked towards him with a steady gait.

Jaune backed away, huddling in on himself. She stopped, cocking her head at the strange action. And he turned away toward the endless abyss.

Eyes opened to pitch black, the calm hum of a fan blowing in the background. Jaune looked around at the room, catching hints of the furniture and walls in the night. His mind was fuzzy, slowly trundling up to speed with his current predicament. Jaune lay under the covers of a bed without a shirt on, feeling warm and fuzzy from sleeping. Or was it the warm person next to him? He looked over toward where the warmth was radiating out from, finding the fuzzy top of their head. Lifting up the covers, he found Neo snuggling up against him with a soft smile on her face.

Glancing lower, he found the frilly nightgown she'd thrown on before hopping into bed earlier in the night. It clung in a sultry way... and he quickly replaced the covers, trying his best not to burn up from shame. Why am I so weak? She's so cute though. It wasn't the thought that Jaune was hoping for, another chink in the armor that was his honor. Still, it wasn't so bad. At the least she only wanted to snuggle, to share some time together. And then sleep together.

It may be strange, but other people must do it if she's used to it. All of that didn't matter now, Jaune needed to get back to his room. Neo wouldn't be happy with his departure, but there was good reason for it. Sliding the covers back, a slight grunt escaped the small girl as he slid off the bed. It was probably the first thing he'd ever heard from her in the short time they were together. Standing upright, Jaune turned to tuck the blankets back in and around the woman. Neo seemed to sink into herself, and he felt it would be a good time to leave.

Jaune gathered up his hoodie before turning toward where he thought the door would be, passing a bench full of weapons. Among them a parasol rested, more than likely the same one Neo had on the day the first ran into Cinder. A weapon... so what did she intend to do with it? The memories continued to roll through his mind, one in particular sticking out about her injuring someone over money. That was in the past now by her own word, why else was she with the night watch if she didn't mean it? Jaune reached the door, feeling around for the panel she'd pressed when they first got here. Pressing down on the square, light seeped into the room and he quietly exited, pressing on the square outside to conceal the door once more.

Walking down the hallway was a relief, a moment to reflect on his poor choices so far. The day had started off so well, only to end with him slinking away from one woman who he'd poured his heart out to. And back to a room where he'd made love to another. To top it all off was the weight he felt from his admission to Neo. The truth huh? You couldn't lie again like you've done your entire life? Jaune had admitted to the one thing he was most afraid of confronting, the specter that loomed over this whole ordeal. His feelings for Pyrrha.

Jaune arrived at his room, fishing around for the key before unlocking the door and stepping through. He tossed the hoodie over by his armor plates and settled down on the edge of his bed. It wasn't like Jaune never had feelings for her, he'd held them for quite a while. Ever since the school dance so long ago, when Pyrrha had confided in him about how much she wanted people to see her for her. And I thought for a moment, yeah, I can be that person to just see the woman. But you pushed me away when I needed to be there the most. Admitting it felt like a betrayal, but he couldn't deny how he felt.

A light clink sounded from the window. Jaune waited for the sign. Another two clinks, followed by a thunk. He got up and opened the window. The black shape that flew through landed gracefully and silently on the carpeted floor.

"That didn't take forever at all. I know you like walks at night, but this seems a little excessive Jaune." The figure straightened up, long limbs stretching outward in black and white clothing. Blake Belladonna stood before him again, the cat Faunus looking a little more haggard than the last time he saw her.

"I'm sorry, it's been... anyway, how have you been? I assume you're back for the usual." It wasn't out of the ordinary to see her on this side of the wall, Blake having stayed behind in Vale for personal reasons.

The woman skulked about for a second, the edge of life outside the safe zone slowly fading away. Feeling safe once more, she sat down on the reading chair in his room. "Yeah, that would be nice. And the extra food for the survivors? And... have you heard from Ruby or...?"

Or Yang. "No, nothing from them. I'm sure Ruby's going to want to get up and going soon though. She always was a doer rather than a thinker." Jaune walked past her, feeling the cold air from the window on bare skin. Pulling out some fish from the fridge and bread he set about making the usual.

"Yeah, she had a way about her that kept us all focused on the matter at hand," Blake mused, watching him work. "What about you Jaune? I don't remember you ever having issues with your team."

He thought about the time with his team back at Beacon, how he acted around them and the way they went about their day. "I don't know, Nora and Pyrrha were always so competent. Ren never did anything really outside the norm, just the things to keep Nora in check. I think I was just there for the most part. Except during the training with Pyrrha that is, that felt right."

Blake sat up, staring at him with amber eyes alight in the dim room. "Jaune, are you alright? This is the first time you've talked about her since I've been coming here."

Jaune stopped cutting the fish, looking back at the person who'd caught him in his own words. "Well, uh, it's kind of a long story. One that I'd like to keep to myself." He tried to go back to preparing the sandwich, but Blake kept staring at him expecting answers. "Alright, I... met someone. Someone who I could talk to about this stuff." It wasn't a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"Oh Jaune, that's not something to be ashamed of. We all have things in our past that we need to deal with, I should know that more than anyone." The woman got up from her spot, walking over to stand behind Jaune. He jumped as slender arms wrapped around him, a feminine form pressing into his back. "You're a good man Jaune, don't ever think otherwise. Even that dork who's chasing after me would have a tough time matching up to you."

It was a nice thought, that he wasn't a lecherous fool who was juggling between a curiosity, a resurrected woman, and someone who might murder him. "I don't know about that. I'm just the poor idiot who got stuck with all of this."

Blake's arms tightened a little more around him. "You know that isn't true. Those soldiers on the wall trust you, even the people around you seem more at ease." Her grip loosened before Jaune was turned around to look into her face. "Even what you're doing right now. How hard do you think life would be for everyone without you?"

Jaune saw the truth in her eyes, the words ringing out with clarity in his tiny room. He nodded at her, acquiescing to her claims before returning to his work with the fish sandwich. Blake clapped a hand on his shoulder and returned to her seat. I suppose I've lost track of all the things I've been doing since the tower fell. It's been so long now. Finishing up the sandwich, Jaune pulled out several boxes and bags full of food and water. Supplies for the people stuck outside the walls. Blake graciously accepted his gifts, and he sat at the edge of the bed waiting for her to finish.

"So this someone... did you bring her here?"

His head snapped upward, staring straight into the smiling face of the feline Faunus. "W-what makes you say that?"

"It smells in here a little. I think I'm going to head out before I learn more." Blake stood up and lightly stepped over to the open window. "Take care Jaune, don't forget what I said." She turned to leave, stopped, and looked back over her shoulder with a steely gaze. "Oh, and enough with that Night Meower nonsense. I stubbed my toe after saving that guy, please stop blowing it out of proportion."

"You look a lot better today Jaune, what gives? We don't see you for a few days and all of a sudden you've got this spring in your step and glow on your face." Jaune watched Nora bounce around on her heels, standing with Ren on the corner they usually met at. "Are you sure you haven't lost it?"

"I'm sure Nora. It's been an interesting couple of days, but I'm still just me." He smiled at the short berserker eying him up and down. Ren stood with his normally placid stance, watching the two duke it out.

"If you say so. Anyway... hey! What about that girl you met? You ever see her again? Did you listen to my advice?" She looked back at Ren. "Make him listen, he'll listen to you. You two always ignore me when it comes to this stuff."

Jaune laughed a little, thinking about that day. "I saw them again. And yeah, I listened Nora. You've got a good head for this sort of stuff, must have had a lot of time to watch me and...and..."

The woman was staring at him with an amused look on her face, probably gloating about how right she was. But it wasn't her that Jaune was staring at. "Would you care to repeat that? Them?"

Ren was glaring at him with an intensity he'd never seen before. Ren never had outbursts like this. "Uh, yeah? I met another person who did the same thing Nora talked about. And a third."

The green coated man stamped up to Jaune, eyes burning from an inner light. "Jaune, I think it's time we had a heart to heart about girls. Right now."

"Uh, alright? What do you want to talk about?" This conversation had a strange feel to it, like a memory not quite turned on its head.

Ren looked deeper into his eyes, the burning flame visible now to Jaune. "You're seeing three women? That is what you said?" He trampled on over Jaune's feeble replies. "Let me give you some advice. Don't. Tackling one Ursa is a risky enough proposition, tackling three is insane."

"Did I just get compared to an Ursa?"

Jaune stood his ground, staring back at his friend with small yet firm resolve. "It's not like that... well, mostly not like that. I don't think one is interested in that way, and another thing-"

He trailed off at the sight of Nora standing with a black-hearted grin behind Ren. "Oh, finished? I wanted to hear more of Ren's spectacular advice. Go on Ren, tell him more about the mysteries of womanhood."

Ren looked over his shoulder, then back at Jaune, back and forth. His mind seemed to be made up by the third round, a grimace taking over his usual calm outlook. "I'll stand by my word. Three is a mad man's dream, settle for one Jaune, one who will do right by YOU!"

He yelped outward as Nora heaved him up and onto her shoulder, flashing a toothy smile at Jaune before turning to walk away. "I'll show you who's an Ursa. We're going to find a nice quiet place to chat... yeah, chat."

Jaune watched his teammates go, Ren seemingly accepting his fate as he was carried off by Nora. I wish it was so easy, but they look like they're having fun. Maybe I should listen to his advice. He turned to walk away, stopping for a second to admire the peace around him.

"Oh, so you do talk about us. And let me guess, the little freak is the third one?"

Her prey spun around to face her, glaring in his own cute way. Cinder walked up to him, the usual grace and sway on full display for her would be suitor. She didn't have any confidence in it working as per the information she kept getting, but it was worth a last shot. This man was different, maybe since he was younger or less successful. Maybe even that he was just a student not too long ago, before her masterstroke. Jaune Arc believes in his team, but is an incompetent boob. That was all she had on him.

"Why are you here again? What could I possibly have that you want? And why not just take it by force if it's so important?" Jaune's barrage of questions stung slightly to Cinder's ego. He stood impassive, arms folded and waiting for her answer.

It was time to commit. "Well, I guess I should start with a question. Would you... like... to go get something to eat?" Agh, this was the most ridiculous act Cinder had ever had to put on, but losing to the ketchup haired vixen wasn't an option. "I'd really like to just enjoy your company." Strangely, the last sentence didn't make her want to vomit.

"What if I refuse, will you leave me alone?" Jaune asked, still glaring at her but with a slightly looser footing. He wasn't sure what to do, prime for more persuasion.

Cinder let go a large sigh, laying on the ham as she strolled up to him. "I suppose you could leave. It'd break my heart but I'm sure someone like you must be oh so busy." The words were right, but it felt slightly wrong to her. "Please reconsider?"

Jaune cocked an eyebrow, letting the glare drop as she approached to arms length. Good, it was going smoothly even if her gut was telling her otherwise, she reached out to take an arm. And he reciprocated, a light squeeze into a traditional loop at his side with her hanging off. Well this is going well, Pyrrha's suggestions were pretty spot on I guess. I suppose they should be, she did bed him after all. The thought of their encounter yesterday sent a chill up Cinder's spine. And for the first time today a slight pink cloud popped into existence, worming along with mocking grace at the edge of her mind.

"So where did you want to eat?" he asked, walking along with a slow gait. Cinder looked over to find him looking down at her with a small smile. "I know a place you might like, real fancy."

It did sound nice, but that wouldn't be what a normal girl would want. "I don't know, what do you want? I can eat anywhere, it's all fine by me."

Jaune laughed a little, shaking his head as he looked ahead once more. "Alright, then we'll grab a grease ball of a burger at this one place I know." He picked up his pace a little at the thought, dragging Cinder slightly. She was glad she'd worn her combat clothes instead of her usual dress, if only for this moment. Casual, normal, think like a regular airheaded girl.

They walked for a while, down busy streets and crowded intersections. These people were vibrant, excited to be at the days work while the sun was up and ready for life after it had gone down. Cinder never thought she'd break the entirety of this city, but this was almost as if the attack hadn't happened. Jaune weaved through it all with a grace unbecoming someone like him. He talked casually, walked casually, almost like he wasn't the dork Pyrrha made him out to be. Then why wasn't the usual routine working on him? What are you playing at girl? Only a light pink answered her.

"Here we are. I think you'll like it, noisy, crowded, just the place to grab some cheap food." Jaune pulled her into the raucous building, a crowd hanging around outside the door laughing about some joke or another. Inside was no different, a crass group of men digging into greasy food and laughing at one another. It's all to prove a point, you just have to put up with it for a while. You've suffered through far worse.

Finding an empty table, Jaune plopped down and beckoned Cinder to the opposite side. She settled down with a graceful glance at the seat beforehand. It wasn't clean, but it was at least not a sticky mess. "So, I guess I should answer your other questions from earlier."

"Well, it would help a little. I'm sure it wouldn't bother you too much." His quip caught her off guard. Pyrrha... this isn't how he's supposed to act. Nothing, not even the hint of laughter.

"I'm here right now just to be with you, and I want to get to kn-"

Jaune leaned back, looking at her with humor in his eyes. His face was twitching, a smile barely hidden under his hand.

"To know you. Is it that so hard to-"

And it broke, his giggling causing Cinder's face to heat up in embarrassment. The general noise of the room masked it well, but she could pick out the soft laughing coming from the boy. "Is there something funny going on or am I just not getting it?"

Jaune calmed down, holding a side as he wiped at the tears on his eyes. "You can drop the act, it's not going to work. Even with how much fun I'm having watching you squirm, we're not going to get anywhere like this."

Cinder watched him settle down, looking over the table at her with a mocking grin. She retaliated with a glare, earning an even broader grin. "Fine, you wanted to know why I'm here? I'm here to destroy every ounce of resistance and crush this tiny speck once and for all. Pyrrha's here to help break these pathetic wretches and scatter them to the four corners." Her voice wasn't breaking over the noise thankfully. "And you. I. Want. You."

Good, that ought to break him just a little. Maybe she could get back on track after this... interruption is over and she can return to seducing him. Cinder watched as Jaune processed her words, his face slowly returning to a serious look. Excellent, now back to the matter at... what? she cut off her thoughts as Jaune smiled at her.

"Well alright. I guess that makes sense." Jaune leaned onto the table, staring into her eyes. "So that's why you're here, and why she's here. But I don't get it, what do I have to do with it?"

"You're joking, right? I just told you I'm going to murder countless people using your dead girlfriend." Jaune shrugged at her. "You're mad, that's it."

"I'm just going with whatever you have planned. I've seen what you can do, Ozpin isn't around because of you. And Pyrrha... it isn't anything for you to take what you want." He sat up straighter, resting his chin on his hands. "Yet, here we are, in a burger joint talking about how you want me or something."

Cinder stared at him, trying to gather anything from his demeanor. He's clearly not thinking right. Or maybe he just doesn't care anymore. Or... It donned on her, he was playing her. She'd given up far too much of her plan, the reason why she was here, even the game was almost spoiled at this point. Cinder sat back against the bench, watching her opponent smile at her. Pyrrha has impeccable taste it seems. A young man in a smock came up, blithering about whether or not they wanted something to eat. Jaune recommended a special.

"Let's get down to it then. I do want to get to know you, but this back and forth isn't going anywhere." Cinder smiled salaciously at him. "What can we do to fix that?"

"Well, you could drop all the acts. But most important, let Pyrrha go." Jaune wasn't smiling now, a stern look replacing the charming smile from before.

Cinder pondered his request. I can't let her go, that would be far too dangerous. Especially if the old fool ever comes back. But maybe we can reach a deal. She voiced her concerns. "I could just leave the collar off, she could stay with you if you like. I'm sure that would end... well." A light flutter of eyelashes sealed the point.

"Yeah, that, uh, that would work." Jaune visibly gulped, a delectable admission of guilt for Cinder. "So now that that's settled... what do you want from me?"

Her smile grew, slowly taking over her entire face. "You, Jaune. I get you, every other day, until we settle this." Cinder reached across the table, laying a delicate hand on his well worn glove. "And that includes all of you dear. All of you."

Her nightmare was over again, the tingling sensation of life returning to her limbs not quite gone as she walked the hallway. Pyrrha had woken up from the trance in Cinder's room, laying on the mat she usually slept on. The woman wasn't present as Pyrrha regained her senses. So she ran, out the door and into a long hallway. Memories drifted up of the hotel where Jaune was staying, the room she'd been taken to. So she wandered down this hall, slowly going toward her destination. And trying to ignore the lines slowly weaving along in her mind.

I'm not going to lose to that harlot, but why am I allowed to go all of a sudden? Pyrrha ignored the possessiveness of her thoughts, focusing in on the question. She'd been called back last night by Cinder, the constant pressure dialing upward until she almost couldn't control her own words. Saying goodbye to Jaune hurt more than she anticipated, but the sweetness of their day together comforted her. And now she was given another breath of freedom. The day isn't over though. So why? She passed by the lobby, glancing at the handful of people waiting around.

Pyrrha stumbled onward, her limbs slow to respond and her mind only just recovering. The urge to laugh was on the tip of her mind though she couldn't say why. It felt distantly like the urges from yesterday, like a geyser bubbling up just under the ground and searching for any weak point. She walked onward, counting down the door numbers. Only ten more. Five now. Pyrrha looked back to where she was walking to. And found a short girl waiting in front of a door. Pyrrha looked back to the door before where she was standing. The number was right before Jaune's.

"Can I help you? Do you know the person who's staying in this room?" Pyrrha asked in as strong a voice as she could muster. Brilliant green eyes looked back at her. They widened slightly, flashing to a stark white.