bazerkerking
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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Yeah... yeah it do be like that some times. Babies are fickle and want what they want
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[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!
- Thread starter AndrewJTalon
- Start date
With Merlot and Watts
New
AndrewJTalon
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The laboratory was a converted sub-basement under Evernight Castle, the kind of place that still smelled faintly of rotten wood and Grimmfilth even after the ventilation had been upgraded. Banks of stolen Atlas equipment hummed along the walls. Holographic displays floated in the air, casting cold blue light across Arthur Watts's sharp features as he scrolled through another failed simulation.
He had not bothered to remove his coat. He rarely did when the work refused to cooperate.
Dr. Merlot leaned against a nearby console, arms crossed, watching with the mild interest of a man who had seen far worse tempers than this one. The biologist's coat was open, his usual easy posture at odds with the tension radiating off the other man.
Watts's lip curled.
"Ugh… That wretched Atlasian lapdog… Sucking up to Salem and playing at the loyal sycophant…"
Merlot's eyebrows rose. "Interesting insult, given your heritage."
Watts shot him a flat look but did not rise to the bait. His fingers flicked across the interface, dismissing another model that collapsed into cascading error messages.
"Not only do I have to compete with Cinder, I now must contend with more fools seeking Queen Salem's favor?"
Merlot pushed off the console and strolled closer, hands in his pockets. "Come now, Arthur. There's no need for this. You are the key part of our plans, after all. Cinder and Iri are just delivery girls. You are the mastermind."
Watts's jaw tightened. "Yet magic is the one thing I cannot crack. And that is what that empty-headed brat can use—" He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Iri?"
"Well," Merlot said mildly, "the young lady made a nice impression on me."
Watts turned fully this time, eyes narrowed. "You realize she's a homicidal maniac who would murder you given half a chance."
Merlot's smile was small and entirely unbothered. "True. But she asked me to use her nickname nicely. So I have."
Watts made a sound of pure disgust and returned to the holoscreen. "I suppose she's slightly more tolerable than Cinder and her little pack of minions… Or Tyrian and his lust for our Queen..."
"He's a young man and she's his fetish," Merlot observed, "Best not to think too long and hard about it."
"Pfft. At least he's more tolerable than Hazel. Such a sad sack brute, lamenting his lost sister and blaming Ozpin," Watts rolled his eyes.
"He does wear thin at times, I will admit," Merlot added. "As for the rest of our little band, I've yet to meet them all."
"That is by design," Watts sniffed, "We must maintain some kind of compartmentalization... Hmph."
He stared at the cascading data streams in silence for several seconds.
Merlot waited. Then, almost gently: "So?"
"I'm still working on this. It would be nice if you helped, you know."
"Don't look at me. My domain is biology, chemistry, and cybernetics. You're the polymath."
Watts's fingers stilled. The simulation froze on a complex lattice of interlocking timelines, each one marked with glowing nodes that refused to stabilize.
"The capacity for time travel in a Semblance has always been possible," he said slowly, "but the model would need to be a closed-loop system to avoid paradoxes. Yet the situation as described by Queen Salem is the definition of a paradox. All of spacetime should have turned into a singularity."
Merlot tilted his head. "But clearly, it hasn't."
"No. It hasn't." Watts's voice dropped, almost thoughtful. "That is the tricky part…"
He flicked through another layer of security logs and scowled. "It doesn't help that these brats have locked me out of the more sensitive parts of the CCT. They found the virus."
Merlot's expression finally sharpened. "That's not good."
Watts's reply was pure venom. "Thanks for that. However could I have gotten along without you, Viktor?"
"No need to snipe at me, Arthur… More than usual."
Watts ignored the jab and pulled up a different set of files—academic papers, theoretical models, old conference abstracts. His eyes narrowed further.
"Ugh… It doesn't help we're up against Doctor Weena Nebogipfel, the single greatest mind in physics since Fig Newton himself."
Merlot blinked. "Don't you mean Einholz?"
"His genius was incredible," Watts said dismissively, "but Nebogipfel has the potential to totally redefine our understanding of physics. Hmmm…"
He zoomed in on one particular cluster of data, the lines of the various timelines tightening around a single bright point.
"I can only conclude, based on the description and my reading of her works, that we exist in a kind of… superposition. Twelve enmeshed timelines, all held together by a number of critical factors, as the timelines try to correct themselves due to being caught. Not unlike twelve zippers all caught together..."
Merlot's voice was quieter now. "One of them being this Jaune Arc?"
"Yes." Watts's gaze remained fixed on the glowing node. "Which means there's something going on with him in particular."
"What about the time-traveling boy?"
"He is also a critical factor. But his removal would not threaten the entire structure of the universe as we know it… Arc's removal would." Watts tapped the interface, isolating the relevant data streams. "He is temporally displaced… but his existence is likely tied to Arc's, given he is native to this timeline and the key factor in the paradox."
Merlot waited.
"Having them both would be preferred," Watts continued. "But only eliminating one is a big enough threat to ensure compliance."
Merlot's usual lightness finally faded. "You do realize his elimination might collapse all of spacetime around our ears, yes?"
Watts turned his head just enough to meet the other man's eyes. A thin, cold smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Yes… But to live is to risk. Besides…" He gestured at the unstable lattice of timelines rotating slowly in the air between them. "You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious about this incredible scientific opportunity."
Merlot was silent for a long moment. Then he exhaled through his nose, the sound almost a laugh.
"…I am. But I'm also not keen on mutually assured destruction as a plan."
Watts's smile widened a fraction, sharp and humorless.
"Then I suggest you start thinking of a better one, Doctor. Because the clock is already ticking. Our Queen wants to unravel this puzzle, as it may finally give us our victory..." He grinned, the light of the holograms reflected in his eyes.
"A victory for all time..."
He had not bothered to remove his coat. He rarely did when the work refused to cooperate.
Dr. Merlot leaned against a nearby console, arms crossed, watching with the mild interest of a man who had seen far worse tempers than this one. The biologist's coat was open, his usual easy posture at odds with the tension radiating off the other man.
Watts's lip curled.
"Ugh… That wretched Atlasian lapdog… Sucking up to Salem and playing at the loyal sycophant…"
Merlot's eyebrows rose. "Interesting insult, given your heritage."
Watts shot him a flat look but did not rise to the bait. His fingers flicked across the interface, dismissing another model that collapsed into cascading error messages.
"Not only do I have to compete with Cinder, I now must contend with more fools seeking Queen Salem's favor?"
Merlot pushed off the console and strolled closer, hands in his pockets. "Come now, Arthur. There's no need for this. You are the key part of our plans, after all. Cinder and Iri are just delivery girls. You are the mastermind."
Watts's jaw tightened. "Yet magic is the one thing I cannot crack. And that is what that empty-headed brat can use—" He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Iri?"
"Well," Merlot said mildly, "the young lady made a nice impression on me."
Watts turned fully this time, eyes narrowed. "You realize she's a homicidal maniac who would murder you given half a chance."
Merlot's smile was small and entirely unbothered. "True. But she asked me to use her nickname nicely. So I have."
Watts made a sound of pure disgust and returned to the holoscreen. "I suppose she's slightly more tolerable than Cinder and her little pack of minions… Or Tyrian and his lust for our Queen..."
"He's a young man and she's his fetish," Merlot observed, "Best not to think too long and hard about it."
"Pfft. At least he's more tolerable than Hazel. Such a sad sack brute, lamenting his lost sister and blaming Ozpin," Watts rolled his eyes.
"He does wear thin at times, I will admit," Merlot added. "As for the rest of our little band, I've yet to meet them all."
"That is by design," Watts sniffed, "We must maintain some kind of compartmentalization... Hmph."
He stared at the cascading data streams in silence for several seconds.
Merlot waited. Then, almost gently: "So?"
"I'm still working on this. It would be nice if you helped, you know."
"Don't look at me. My domain is biology, chemistry, and cybernetics. You're the polymath."
Watts's fingers stilled. The simulation froze on a complex lattice of interlocking timelines, each one marked with glowing nodes that refused to stabilize.
"The capacity for time travel in a Semblance has always been possible," he said slowly, "but the model would need to be a closed-loop system to avoid paradoxes. Yet the situation as described by Queen Salem is the definition of a paradox. All of spacetime should have turned into a singularity."
Merlot tilted his head. "But clearly, it hasn't."
"No. It hasn't." Watts's voice dropped, almost thoughtful. "That is the tricky part…"
He flicked through another layer of security logs and scowled. "It doesn't help that these brats have locked me out of the more sensitive parts of the CCT. They found the virus."
Merlot's expression finally sharpened. "That's not good."
Watts's reply was pure venom. "Thanks for that. However could I have gotten along without you, Viktor?"
"No need to snipe at me, Arthur… More than usual."
Watts ignored the jab and pulled up a different set of files—academic papers, theoretical models, old conference abstracts. His eyes narrowed further.
"Ugh… It doesn't help we're up against Doctor Weena Nebogipfel, the single greatest mind in physics since Fig Newton himself."
Merlot blinked. "Don't you mean Einholz?"
"His genius was incredible," Watts said dismissively, "but Nebogipfel has the potential to totally redefine our understanding of physics. Hmmm…"
He zoomed in on one particular cluster of data, the lines of the various timelines tightening around a single bright point.
"I can only conclude, based on the description and my reading of her works, that we exist in a kind of… superposition. Twelve enmeshed timelines, all held together by a number of critical factors, as the timelines try to correct themselves due to being caught. Not unlike twelve zippers all caught together..."
Merlot's voice was quieter now. "One of them being this Jaune Arc?"
"Yes." Watts's gaze remained fixed on the glowing node. "Which means there's something going on with him in particular."
"What about the time-traveling boy?"
"He is also a critical factor. But his removal would not threaten the entire structure of the universe as we know it… Arc's removal would." Watts tapped the interface, isolating the relevant data streams. "He is temporally displaced… but his existence is likely tied to Arc's, given he is native to this timeline and the key factor in the paradox."
Merlot waited.
"Having them both would be preferred," Watts continued. "But only eliminating one is a big enough threat to ensure compliance."
Merlot's usual lightness finally faded. "You do realize his elimination might collapse all of spacetime around our ears, yes?"
Watts turned his head just enough to meet the other man's eyes. A thin, cold smile touched the corner of his mouth.
"Yes… But to live is to risk. Besides…" He gestured at the unstable lattice of timelines rotating slowly in the air between them. "You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious about this incredible scientific opportunity."
Merlot was silent for a long moment. Then he exhaled through his nose, the sound almost a laugh.
"…I am. But I'm also not keen on mutually assured destruction as a plan."
Watts's smile widened a fraction, sharp and humorless.
"Then I suggest you start thinking of a better one, Doctor. Because the clock is already ticking. Our Queen wants to unravel this puzzle, as it may finally give us our victory..." He grinned, the light of the holograms reflected in his eyes.
"A victory for all time..."
Glimpses Into Another Time: Weiss: To the Pain
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AndrewJTalon
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Atlas, Solitas
One year, three months after Vytal Festival
---
Jacques Schnee paced the length of his study like a caged animal, one hand gripping a sleek pistol, the other repeatedly checking his Scroll for word on the escape airship. Outside the heavy doors, the sounds of combat echoed through the mansion—gunfire, shouted orders, the clash of weapons. RWBY and JNOR were tearing through his security with ruthless efficiency.
Weiss sat rigid in a high-backed chair near the desk, the cold metal of an Aura Suppression Collar locked around her neck. Her hands were bound, but her eyes burned with pure, undiluted hatred as she tracked her father's every step.
"I did everything for you," she said, voice low and cutting. "And you only ever saw me as a tool."
Jacques didn't stop pacing. "A disobedient tool, to be sure. But you'll learn. So help me, you will."
Weiss's jaw tightened. "…I loved you once. Did you ever love me? Or was it all just nonsense?"
He finally turned, expression cold. "Love doesn't build an empire!"
"And if you'd loved me," Weiss shot back, "Maybe you could have had it without destroying us! Destroying everything!"
Jacques, enraged, pulled back his hand.
"Now listen you-!"
The study doors exploded inward.
Jaune Arc stood in the doorway, Crocea Mors drawn, shield already raised. Dust and plaster drifted down around him. His blue eyes locked on Jacques, then flicked briefly to Weiss before hardening again.
"Weiss!"
"Jaune!" she breathed, relief and fear colliding in her voice.
Jacques swung the pistol toward the intruder.
"You really want a fight, Jacques?" Jaune asked, stepping fully into the room.
"I'm more formidable than I appear, boy," Jacques sneered. "You're trespassing. The law is on my side. Surrender, or you'll be cut down the moment my guards arrive."
Jaune's grip on his sword tightened. "Then I suppose I have to fight you."
Jacques gave a disdainful laugh. "What, to the death? Typical of a barbarian—"
"No," Jaune said, voice suddenly calm and precise. "To the pain."
Jacques blinked. "I… I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase."
Jaune took another step forward, eyes never leaving him. "I'll explain. And I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon."
"You dare insult me—?!"
"It won't be the last," Jaune continued, voice dropping into something colder. "'To the pain' means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next, your nose."
Jacques forced a thin smile. "And then my tongue, I suppose."
"I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye, followed by your right."
"And then my ears, I understand. Let's get on with it."
"Wrong." Jaune's voice was pure steel now. "Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever. All the riches in the world won't mean a damn thing when you're a hideous, misshapen monster—an object of pity and horror."
Jacques's face had gone pale. "…Y-You're bluffing."
Jaune's next words came out in a deadly whisper. "My mother is the finest surgeon in Remnant. She taught me how to ensure you will live through anything… no matter how much you want to die. So tell me… which of us is bluffing?"
He raised Crocea Mors slightly. "Drop the gun."
Jacques's hand trembled. For a long moment the only sound in the study was the distant chaos of the ongoing fight. Then, with a strangled noise, he threw the pistol to the floor and raised both hands.
Jaune moved carefully around the desk, never fully turning his back, and reached Weiss. With a sharp twist he tore the Aura Suppression Collar free. The metal clattered to the floor. Weiss rose immediately, yanking her hands free of her bonds, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
"…Did you really quote The Royal Bride?" she murmured.
Jaune's expression softened just a fraction. "First movie we watched together. Of course I did."
Weiss let out a quiet, loving sigh. "You're a dolt."
He smiled. "Your dolt."
From the other side of the desk, Jacques made a disgusted noise. "Oh, for pity's sake…"
Weiss turned her head just enough to fix her father with a look of pure contempt. "Consider yourself lucky we're not conceiving our first child on your desk right now, bastard."
Jaune flushed.
"Weiss!"
"I may still do it!"
One year, three months after Vytal Festival
---
Jacques Schnee paced the length of his study like a caged animal, one hand gripping a sleek pistol, the other repeatedly checking his Scroll for word on the escape airship. Outside the heavy doors, the sounds of combat echoed through the mansion—gunfire, shouted orders, the clash of weapons. RWBY and JNOR were tearing through his security with ruthless efficiency.
Weiss sat rigid in a high-backed chair near the desk, the cold metal of an Aura Suppression Collar locked around her neck. Her hands were bound, but her eyes burned with pure, undiluted hatred as she tracked her father's every step.
"I did everything for you," she said, voice low and cutting. "And you only ever saw me as a tool."
Jacques didn't stop pacing. "A disobedient tool, to be sure. But you'll learn. So help me, you will."
Weiss's jaw tightened. "…I loved you once. Did you ever love me? Or was it all just nonsense?"
He finally turned, expression cold. "Love doesn't build an empire!"
"And if you'd loved me," Weiss shot back, "Maybe you could have had it without destroying us! Destroying everything!"
Jacques, enraged, pulled back his hand.
"Now listen you-!"
The study doors exploded inward.
Jaune Arc stood in the doorway, Crocea Mors drawn, shield already raised. Dust and plaster drifted down around him. His blue eyes locked on Jacques, then flicked briefly to Weiss before hardening again.
"Weiss!"
"Jaune!" she breathed, relief and fear colliding in her voice.
Jacques swung the pistol toward the intruder.
"You really want a fight, Jacques?" Jaune asked, stepping fully into the room.
"I'm more formidable than I appear, boy," Jacques sneered. "You're trespassing. The law is on my side. Surrender, or you'll be cut down the moment my guards arrive."
Jaune's grip on his sword tightened. "Then I suppose I have to fight you."
Jacques gave a disdainful laugh. "What, to the death? Typical of a barbarian—"
"No," Jaune said, voice suddenly calm and precise. "To the pain."
Jacques blinked. "I… I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase."
Jaune took another step forward, eyes never leaving him. "I'll explain. And I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon."
"You dare insult me—?!"
"It won't be the last," Jaune continued, voice dropping into something colder. "'To the pain' means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next, your nose."
Jacques forced a thin smile. "And then my tongue, I suppose."
"I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye, followed by your right."
"And then my ears, I understand. Let's get on with it."
"Wrong." Jaune's voice was pure steel now. "Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever. All the riches in the world won't mean a damn thing when you're a hideous, misshapen monster—an object of pity and horror."
Jacques's face had gone pale. "…Y-You're bluffing."
Jaune's next words came out in a deadly whisper. "My mother is the finest surgeon in Remnant. She taught me how to ensure you will live through anything… no matter how much you want to die. So tell me… which of us is bluffing?"
He raised Crocea Mors slightly. "Drop the gun."
Jacques's hand trembled. For a long moment the only sound in the study was the distant chaos of the ongoing fight. Then, with a strangled noise, he threw the pistol to the floor and raised both hands.
Jaune moved carefully around the desk, never fully turning his back, and reached Weiss. With a sharp twist he tore the Aura Suppression Collar free. The metal clattered to the floor. Weiss rose immediately, yanking her hands free of her bonds, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
"…Did you really quote The Royal Bride?" she murmured.
Jaune's expression softened just a fraction. "First movie we watched together. Of course I did."
Weiss let out a quiet, loving sigh. "You're a dolt."
He smiled. "Your dolt."
From the other side of the desk, Jacques made a disgusted noise. "Oh, for pity's sake…"
Weiss turned her head just enough to fix her father with a look of pure contempt. "Consider yourself lucky we're not conceiving our first child on your desk right now, bastard."
Jaune flushed.
"Weiss!"
"I may still do it!"
TheFabulousCustodes
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Blake and Jaune's Date Part 4
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AndrewJTalon
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The restaurant had quieted as the evening settled in. Most of the other diners had left, leaving Blake and Jaune at their corner table with only the soft clink of dishes from the kitchen and the distant hum of Vale's nightlife beyond the windows. Penny sat a polite distance away, ostensibly giving them space while still fulfilling her protective duties.
Blake turned her teacup slowly between her fingers, watching the residual steam curl upward. "Honestly, if twelve-year-old me could see me now—going to Mom, having an actual conversation with her, taking her advice seriously… She'd likely say I had betrayed the Faunus cause. Like I once thought my parents had."
Something stirred in Jaune's memory. He leaned forward slightly.
"Well… if it helps… the night before I ran away from home, I had a fight with my parents. I wasn't very wise or kind to them either."
Blake's ears flicked once. She set the cup down and rested her hand over his on the table. "I guess we both have done more growth than we thought."
"Yeah…" Jaune's voice softened. "But I have a long way to go."
"I think we both do. And I think the others do too." Her thumb brushed lightly across his knuckles. "I know Weiss is very different from the person she was when she first enrolled at Beacon."
"She is." A small, fond smile touched his mouth. "My Nana once said that learning from your mistakes is the worst way to learn… but it ensures you'll never forget it."
Blake's lips curved. "Dad has something similar. 'Experience is the most brutal teacher, because she gives the test first, and then the lesson.'"
Jaune huffed a quiet laugh. "Heh… Maybe they should meet."
Penny's head lifted with sudden brightness. "Calling Arturia Pendragon-Arc."
"No no no! No! I'm good, Penny!" Jaune waved both hands frantically.
Blake's ears twitched with amusement. "He would be over the moon if you could arrange that. She's one of his inspirations. But… maybe for another time."
"Yeah…"
While Jaune excused himself to the restroom, Blake quietly checked the map application on her Scroll. A green icon glowed just next door—Oum Memorial Park, complete with winding paths, water features, and quiet garden alcoves. Perfect.
When he returned, she was already sliding her Scroll across the table toward Penny. "I was just looking to see what else we could do after dinner. It would be nice to have a walk through the Oum Memorial Park." She tilted the screen so Penny could see the soft evening photographs of lantern-lit paths and koi ponds.
Penny's eyes lit up. "I believe this would be highly romantic!"
"Yes, it would." Blake allowed a carefully measured note of disappointment into her voice. "Oh, surrounded by green… lovely water features… just the two of us—" She sighed. "I guess it can't be just the two of us."
"Well it must be! You all must be protected!"
Blake played the part of reluctant understanding. "I know, but it's such a hindrance, having a bodyguard. The purpose of this date is for Jaune and me to become closer. If someone is looking over our shoulders the entire time, it's just… counterproductive."
Penny's expression flickered with internal conflict. "Nngh… Friend Blake, I am having issues with my core directives! … I mean orders!"
"Because you're a perfectly normal human girl," Blake said gently.
"Yes!"
Blake tilted her head, pretending to consider. "Surely you can protect us without being right beside us. After all… if you could get somewhere high up, you could watch everywhere an assailant might come from, right?"
Penny's face fell slightly. "Well, I did that before, but I got distracted with Friend/Complicated Feelings Whitley…"
Blake's ears perked with genuine interest this time. "And why is that, Penny? Talk to me. As a friend."
The gynoid hesitated, then spoke in a softer, more uncertain tone. "I am unsure. I am having complex feelings for Friend Whitley. I have done analysis of these reactions but… it is most incongruous. As a perfectly normal human girl I would be happy to feel… romantic feelings, but the reality is… somewhat more complicated."
Blake nodded, patient. "That is perfectly normal. Romance is very complicated. But you like Whitley, right? And does he like you?"
"I have… not inquired. How would one know?"
"Talking about it with his relatives can help," Blake offered. "They know how family acts normally, so they would notice if something is different. And if you have the family's approval, things become more straightforward. However… the Schnee family has been under strain, so it would be worthwhile to gather data from other sources as well. Observe him. Does he treat you differently from other girls who aren't related? Does he go out of his way to do things that make you happy that he doesn't for others? Does he invent ridiculous pretexts just to speak with you? Things like that. Does that help?"
Penny's eyes brightened. "That does help greatly! Thank you!" She paused, processing. "I am analyzing… It seems he does act strangely around me. But he has not made ridiculous pretexts to see me yet…"
"You've only known each other a few days," Blake said warmly. "These things take time. Love at first sight isn't really a thing."
Penny's head tilted. "Yet you have fallen for Friend Jaune, have you not?"
Blake allowed a carefully controlled wistfulness into her voice. "Oh yes… but we had known each other for months before everything happened."
"Yet you act as though you are in love with him… when you were close to Friend Sun. I am trying to understand."
The question landed harder than Blake expected. For a moment the carefully constructed poise she had been maintaining wavered. She frowned, staring down at the table as old doubts stirred.
"…In another life, I think Sun and I would have been meant to be. But that was before I met Leander and Leandra. Before I learned what kind of man Jaune can become… and saw what kind of man he already is. And I think Sun has found someone else as well."
"I see… But is that love?"
Blake's fingers dug into her hair as the spiral threatened to pull her under. The weight of futures, of choices, of everything the children had shown her pressed in all at once—
"Haa… sorry about—" Jaune returned, then stopped short at the look on her face. "Oh! Blake. Uh…"
He paid the bill without further comment—Ozpin's credit card making the process mercifully quick—and gently guided her out into the cool night air, Penny trailing a few steps behind.
Blake remained quiet, still partially stuck in her own head as they walked.
Jaune cleared his throat. "…I'm glad the night is clear. The weather's been great the last week…" He immediately grimaced at himself. Oh good going, Arc. Great thing to talk to her about.
"Oh… yes. It's been… nice. Not too hot."
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Penny, sensing the tension with almost painful clarity, suddenly lifted one hand and fired a small plasma blast into a nearby trash receptacle. "Oh dear! Whatever was that? Something is now on fire! I will deal with it!" She rocketed upward before either of them could respond.
Jaune watched her go, then sighed. "…Do… does everyone trying to be a Hunter just… suck at socializing? Or is it just me… and Ruby… and Penny…?"
Blake's ears twitched with the first genuine amusement of the evening. "Heh. And Weiss. And Pyrrha. …And me."
"…And Nora… and Ren…"
"Okay," Jaune conceded. "So it's all of us."
"Well, given our lifestyle, I guess we would have to be a little off…"
A light seemed to click on behind Blake's eyes. "And so would our relationships. Love, and what form it takes, and what sparks it… wouldn't be normal either."
Jaune's expression grew more serious. "I mean… that's a good point. But a lot of crazy people in love… everything falls apart. And on top of everything else… I'm…" He rubbed his face with both hands.
Blake noticed that Penny was still occupied in the distance. She took Jaune's hand and gently pulled him off the main path into a more private stretch of the garden, where the lantern light filtered softly through the leaves.
"And on top of it all," she said quietly, "you are a good man. Other people sometimes just need something out of the ordinary to see it."
Jaune's voice was rough. "A good man wouldn't need to… constantly be worrying about screwing things up…"
"No." Blake's tone was firm but gentle. "A good man absolutely would. Because he cares about everyone around him—even people he has never met. Because he sees them as just as worthwhile as the people he does know."
Jaune was quiet for a moment. "…Ruby's got a lot more on her shoulders than me. Daughter of a legendary Huntress… in every timeline, she's the one who stops Salem."
Blake stepped closer. "And a sword may kill a Grimm, but it doesn't kill in a vacuum. There's always a hand holding it. Supporting it. In every future, she never would have done it alone."
"You were there too, you know…"
Blake's ears lowered slightly, then rose again with quiet resolve. "Yes. And when I first came to Beacon, I had hoped to become something that could inspire Faunus to return to the principles of seeking equality. And now… now I can see we all have the potential to become something even more. Someone who can forgive past grievances and forge a better future."
Jaune smiled—small, genuine, a little disbelieving—and chuckled under his breath.
Blake tilted her head. "What is it?"
"You just… heh. I dunno… You remind me of Princess Yelen from Mecha Wars: Wings of Peace… in a good way! In a good way."
"I'm not familiar with that one. Who is she, and how am I like her?"
Jaune scratched the back of his neck, growing more animated as he explained. "Well… at first she wants revenge on the NIMH organization for killing her father. Then she learns she's the heiress to a kingdom dedicated to total pacifism, so she tries to bring peace to a warring Remnant and the space colonies. She gets threatened with assassination, used as a tool by people who want to rule over Earth and space… but she's so popular she nearly ends the war. Her brother Sento wants to make a war so big and terrible that nobody will ever want another one… but she sticks to her convictions and grows and becomes this crazy badass. She's always trying to live up to her ideals even when it's hard, and she finds a way…"
He trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. "I-I dunno…"
Blake stepped closer, a soft smile curving her lips. "And… does she find a blonde doofus of a noble-hearted knight?"
Jaune flushed. "Ah, well… actually it's a child soldier who tries to kill her a few times, but she humanizes him."
"Ah." Blake's smile widened just a fraction. "Well, it sounds like an interesting drama. Maybe you and I could watch it sometime?"
"I… yeah. It has a lot of giant robot fights."
"Then I suppose it would be worth watching just to see what the Paladin was intended to be."
"Oh yeah, that thing… it's like a complete joke…"
They continued walking along the quieter paths of the garden, the tension of the earlier conversation easing into something warmer. As they passed a koi pond, a seabird suddenly dove, snatched a fish from the water, and began eating it with noisy satisfaction.
Then the scent reached Blake first—familiar, and unwelcome.
Three figures in dark clothing stepped out from the shadows of the trees ahead.
Blake's ears flattened. "…Karen? Is that you? Did Adam really let you back in?"
At the same time she discreetly thumbed her Scroll, sending a silent ping to Penny.
Karen's lip curled. "Blake… I see you sold us all out. All to be some human's whore."
Jaune's Aura flared bright and hard around him. His voice dropped into something cold and steady that Blake had only heard a handful of times.
"…You have ten seconds to turn yourselves in peacefully."
Blake didn't bother answering the insult. She simply drew Gambol Shroud in one smooth motion.
Karen laughed. "You really think we'll be caged and leashed like you? We escaped your little attack on us, and now you're going to pay!"
One of the others—an elephant Faunus with heavy tusks—raised an assault rifle and opened fire.
Jaune moved first, stepping in front of Blake and surging his Aura into a dense shield that absorbed the initial burst. The ground around them cracked from the force of the impacts. He drew Crocea Mors in the same motion and unleashed a wide Aura Slash that tore up the path and filled the air with a sudden cloud of debris and flying leaves.
That was Blake's opening.
She leapt forward, forcing herself to remember Nick Arc's advice about using her clones offensively rather than purely for retreat. A Fire Dust-infused clone surged ahead of her. Karen's short sword cut through it—and the resulting explosion sent the older woman flying backward into a tree trunk with a sharp crack.
Blake closed on the third attacker, a quick mousy Faunus already drawing an Uzi. Knives flashed through the air; she deflected two with Gambol Shroud's ribbon and closed the distance.
Jaune, meanwhile, was locked in a brutal exchange with the elephant Faunus. The bigger man's spear thrust again and again; Jaune tanked the hits on his shield and answered with heavy, punishing sword strokes that forced the larger opponent to give ground.
Blake's second Fire Dust clone charged the elephant Faunus at the same moment she pressed the mousy one. The distraction cost the big man dearly—Jaune's next Aura Slash at near point-blank range blasted him clean through a tree trunk in a shower of splinters.
Karen had recovered enough to switch to gun mode and open fire on Blake. "History is our guide! We ruled this world after the Moonshatter! Humanity stole from us! Took from us! Enslaved us!"
Blake dodged, ribbon whipping out to tangle Karen's weapon arm. "Even assuming Adam's rubbish is real—if Faunus are so superior, how could humans steal anything? How could they overcome us if we were so superior-?!"
"TRAITOR!" Karen snarled, barely blocking Jaune's sudden strike from behind with a second short sword. "Was that human's cock really big enough for you to betray us?!"
Blake's ears flattened in pure exasperation. "Why is everything sex with you?! Can't someone be motivated by something more than basic biological functions?"
"WE ARE ANIMALS AT OUR CORE! YOU'RE JUST IN DENIAL!" Karen unleashed a wave of Ice Dust that momentarily enshrouded the area. She tried to flank Blake through the mist—and ran straight through a shadow clone.
Blake's knee came up hard between Karen's legs. Gambol Shroud's hilt cracked against the back of her head in the same motion. Jaune's follow-up strike to the chest sent the woman crashing into the tree a second time.
All three White Fang members were still trying to rise when plasma cannon fire lanced down from above.
Penny descended on rocket thrusters, expressions of focused determination on her face as she methodically put each of them down with carefully calibrated non-lethal shots.
"My apologies, Friends! Are you okay?"
Jaune lowered Crocea Mors, breathing hard. "We're okay… When did you get a plasma cannon?"
"It is a recent upgrade because I was a good girl!"
Despite everything, Jaune managed a breathless grin. "You totally were!"
Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and glanced toward a more secluded garden alcove a short distance away. "We'll recover over there while you handle this threat. That work, Penny?"
"Absolutely, Friends!"
They moved into the quieter space while Penny efficiently secured the unconscious attackers and contacted the proper authorities. Blake and Jaune sat together on a low stone bench, still holding onto each other more tightly than either of them would have admitted under normal circumstances.
"…You okay?" Jaune asked quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Blake's voice was steadier than she expected. "You did great, by the way. You've made a lot of progress."
"Me? You were amazing…" He looked down, almost embarrassed. "I-I'm just… a sledgehammer—"
Blake kissed him.
It started soft and almost chaste—an impulsive thank-you, a reward for the hero, a small reclaiming of the evening she had planned. Then it deepened, grew hungrier for a few heartbeats, before she deliberately pulled it back to something gentler. When she finally drew away, her forehead rested lightly against his.
"You are so much more than just a sledgehammer, Jaune. I want you to know that."
"Hwah… Heh… Th-Thanks…"
Blake's smirk returned, quieter this time. She used Karen's confiscated Scroll to activate an emergency beacon and ensure the authorities would find the three attackers without difficulty. Then she gently guided the still-flushed Jaune deeper into the garden, toward a more private section where the lantern light barely reached.
"I-I mean, uh… Blake… maybe we should call the cops—"
"Right! Yes. Yes, we should." She pulled out her own Scroll, already making the call, while silently scolding herself. Steady, girl. Don't get tunnel vision and ruin it.
They ended up sitting close together on another bench, still leaning into one another as the adrenaline slowly drained away.
"I'm sorry," Blake murmured after a while. "I don't know why they were so eager to attack. The White Fang doesn't really go for these sorts of attacks. At least, not in public places like this."
Jaune's arm settled more securely around her shoulders. "Our kids got most of them arrested when they blew up Mount Glenn… There were escapees. Makes sense they would need cells in the city to maintain intel for their plans."
Blake's ears lowered. "…And to be honest, part of why I left the White Fang was because I thought Adam was losing it. And going by what the future children who know of him have said… he only ever got worse. Could Adam have jumped off the deep end? And if he survived the attack… what if he decided to send any remaining cells after me? Us?"
Jaune's arms tightened. "We won't let that happen, Blake… I won't let that happen."
The images rose unbidden—future Jaune, scarred across so much of his body, the marks Adam had left while trying to bleed him out. Jaune had killed Adam in that timeline. But the scars had remained. He had suffered so much… because of her. Because he had loved her.
She shouldn't burden him with that. She shouldn't burden anyone with that. If Adam is starting to attack people over her, she should remove herself from the equation…
And yet…
Leander and Leandra's voices echoed in her memory, patient and stubborn. Running had never worked. Not from her parents. Not from the White Fang. Not from anything that truly mattered.
Blake wrapped her arms around Jaune more tightly and buried her face against his chest, nuzzling under his chin the way a cat might seek comfort.
"…Thank you."
Across the street, the neon sign of a discreet love motel glowed softly through the trees. Blake noticed Jaune's gaze linger on it for a moment longer than necessary.
She smirked, one finger beginning to trace slow circles against his chest. "What are you thinking about, Jaune? You're looking at that building over there pretty intensely…"
"Ah—uh—oh, well, um…"
Blake's voice dropped into something soft and teasing. "You know… Penny's going to be busy for a while. We could… you know… go over. I hear those establishments are very… private."
"B-Blake…!"
She fluttered her lashes up at him. "Yes, Jaune?"
"I… uh… I mean… the others…"
"They can take their turns." Her tone was almost educational. "It's all about finding the balance so everyone is happy."
"T-T-Turns?!" Jaune's face had gone such a vivid red that Blake briefly wondered if traffic could be stopped by it alone. He was rather adorable like this.
She cupped his cheek, pressed a tender kiss to the other side of his face, then looked him in the eyes with quiet warmth.
Jaune leaned in and kissed her properly this time—deeper, more certain. One arm pulled her fully into his lap. Blake returned it without hesitation, one leg sliding up over his hip as the kiss grew hungrier.
"Mmmm…" she murmured against his mouth. "We could go… and both find some relaxation…"
"I…"
She nipped lightly at his ear. "And maybe… start on the twins early~?"
She wasn't that reckless, of course. But the way Jaune's entire body reacted to the suggestion made the teasing more than worth it. His hand settled firmly on her ass, gripping—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH!
A sudden jet of ice-cold water blasted them both square in the faces.
"GAAAAHHHH!"
"MEEROOOW!"
Penny stood a short distance away, one hand still extended, looking both relieved and faintly apologetic.
"Thank goodness I was not too late again!"
Jaune sat there dripping, hair plastered to his forehead, expression somewhere between mortification and exhausted gratitude. "…Yeah… Thanks, Penny."
Blake's ears were completely flat against her head, water streaming down her face as she scowled. "…So much."
Penny beamed. "You are welcome!"
Blake turned her teacup slowly between her fingers, watching the residual steam curl upward. "Honestly, if twelve-year-old me could see me now—going to Mom, having an actual conversation with her, taking her advice seriously… She'd likely say I had betrayed the Faunus cause. Like I once thought my parents had."
Something stirred in Jaune's memory. He leaned forward slightly.
"Well… if it helps… the night before I ran away from home, I had a fight with my parents. I wasn't very wise or kind to them either."
Blake's ears flicked once. She set the cup down and rested her hand over his on the table. "I guess we both have done more growth than we thought."
"Yeah…" Jaune's voice softened. "But I have a long way to go."
"I think we both do. And I think the others do too." Her thumb brushed lightly across his knuckles. "I know Weiss is very different from the person she was when she first enrolled at Beacon."
"She is." A small, fond smile touched his mouth. "My Nana once said that learning from your mistakes is the worst way to learn… but it ensures you'll never forget it."
Blake's lips curved. "Dad has something similar. 'Experience is the most brutal teacher, because she gives the test first, and then the lesson.'"
Jaune huffed a quiet laugh. "Heh… Maybe they should meet."
Penny's head lifted with sudden brightness. "Calling Arturia Pendragon-Arc."
"No no no! No! I'm good, Penny!" Jaune waved both hands frantically.
Blake's ears twitched with amusement. "He would be over the moon if you could arrange that. She's one of his inspirations. But… maybe for another time."
"Yeah…"
While Jaune excused himself to the restroom, Blake quietly checked the map application on her Scroll. A green icon glowed just next door—Oum Memorial Park, complete with winding paths, water features, and quiet garden alcoves. Perfect.
When he returned, she was already sliding her Scroll across the table toward Penny. "I was just looking to see what else we could do after dinner. It would be nice to have a walk through the Oum Memorial Park." She tilted the screen so Penny could see the soft evening photographs of lantern-lit paths and koi ponds.
Penny's eyes lit up. "I believe this would be highly romantic!"
"Yes, it would." Blake allowed a carefully measured note of disappointment into her voice. "Oh, surrounded by green… lovely water features… just the two of us—" She sighed. "I guess it can't be just the two of us."
"Well it must be! You all must be protected!"
Blake played the part of reluctant understanding. "I know, but it's such a hindrance, having a bodyguard. The purpose of this date is for Jaune and me to become closer. If someone is looking over our shoulders the entire time, it's just… counterproductive."
Penny's expression flickered with internal conflict. "Nngh… Friend Blake, I am having issues with my core directives! … I mean orders!"
"Because you're a perfectly normal human girl," Blake said gently.
"Yes!"
Blake tilted her head, pretending to consider. "Surely you can protect us without being right beside us. After all… if you could get somewhere high up, you could watch everywhere an assailant might come from, right?"
Penny's face fell slightly. "Well, I did that before, but I got distracted with Friend/Complicated Feelings Whitley…"
Blake's ears perked with genuine interest this time. "And why is that, Penny? Talk to me. As a friend."
The gynoid hesitated, then spoke in a softer, more uncertain tone. "I am unsure. I am having complex feelings for Friend Whitley. I have done analysis of these reactions but… it is most incongruous. As a perfectly normal human girl I would be happy to feel… romantic feelings, but the reality is… somewhat more complicated."
Blake nodded, patient. "That is perfectly normal. Romance is very complicated. But you like Whitley, right? And does he like you?"
"I have… not inquired. How would one know?"
"Talking about it with his relatives can help," Blake offered. "They know how family acts normally, so they would notice if something is different. And if you have the family's approval, things become more straightforward. However… the Schnee family has been under strain, so it would be worthwhile to gather data from other sources as well. Observe him. Does he treat you differently from other girls who aren't related? Does he go out of his way to do things that make you happy that he doesn't for others? Does he invent ridiculous pretexts just to speak with you? Things like that. Does that help?"
Penny's eyes brightened. "That does help greatly! Thank you!" She paused, processing. "I am analyzing… It seems he does act strangely around me. But he has not made ridiculous pretexts to see me yet…"
"You've only known each other a few days," Blake said warmly. "These things take time. Love at first sight isn't really a thing."
Penny's head tilted. "Yet you have fallen for Friend Jaune, have you not?"
Blake allowed a carefully controlled wistfulness into her voice. "Oh yes… but we had known each other for months before everything happened."
"Yet you act as though you are in love with him… when you were close to Friend Sun. I am trying to understand."
The question landed harder than Blake expected. For a moment the carefully constructed poise she had been maintaining wavered. She frowned, staring down at the table as old doubts stirred.
"…In another life, I think Sun and I would have been meant to be. But that was before I met Leander and Leandra. Before I learned what kind of man Jaune can become… and saw what kind of man he already is. And I think Sun has found someone else as well."
"I see… But is that love?"
Blake's fingers dug into her hair as the spiral threatened to pull her under. The weight of futures, of choices, of everything the children had shown her pressed in all at once—
"Haa… sorry about—" Jaune returned, then stopped short at the look on her face. "Oh! Blake. Uh…"
He paid the bill without further comment—Ozpin's credit card making the process mercifully quick—and gently guided her out into the cool night air, Penny trailing a few steps behind.
Blake remained quiet, still partially stuck in her own head as they walked.
Jaune cleared his throat. "…I'm glad the night is clear. The weather's been great the last week…" He immediately grimaced at himself. Oh good going, Arc. Great thing to talk to her about.
"Oh… yes. It's been… nice. Not too hot."
An awkward silence stretched between them.
Penny, sensing the tension with almost painful clarity, suddenly lifted one hand and fired a small plasma blast into a nearby trash receptacle. "Oh dear! Whatever was that? Something is now on fire! I will deal with it!" She rocketed upward before either of them could respond.
Jaune watched her go, then sighed. "…Do… does everyone trying to be a Hunter just… suck at socializing? Or is it just me… and Ruby… and Penny…?"
Blake's ears twitched with the first genuine amusement of the evening. "Heh. And Weiss. And Pyrrha. …And me."
"…And Nora… and Ren…"
"Okay," Jaune conceded. "So it's all of us."
"Well, given our lifestyle, I guess we would have to be a little off…"
A light seemed to click on behind Blake's eyes. "And so would our relationships. Love, and what form it takes, and what sparks it… wouldn't be normal either."
Jaune's expression grew more serious. "I mean… that's a good point. But a lot of crazy people in love… everything falls apart. And on top of everything else… I'm…" He rubbed his face with both hands.
Blake noticed that Penny was still occupied in the distance. She took Jaune's hand and gently pulled him off the main path into a more private stretch of the garden, where the lantern light filtered softly through the leaves.
"And on top of it all," she said quietly, "you are a good man. Other people sometimes just need something out of the ordinary to see it."
Jaune's voice was rough. "A good man wouldn't need to… constantly be worrying about screwing things up…"
"No." Blake's tone was firm but gentle. "A good man absolutely would. Because he cares about everyone around him—even people he has never met. Because he sees them as just as worthwhile as the people he does know."
Jaune was quiet for a moment. "…Ruby's got a lot more on her shoulders than me. Daughter of a legendary Huntress… in every timeline, she's the one who stops Salem."
Blake stepped closer. "And a sword may kill a Grimm, but it doesn't kill in a vacuum. There's always a hand holding it. Supporting it. In every future, she never would have done it alone."
"You were there too, you know…"
Blake's ears lowered slightly, then rose again with quiet resolve. "Yes. And when I first came to Beacon, I had hoped to become something that could inspire Faunus to return to the principles of seeking equality. And now… now I can see we all have the potential to become something even more. Someone who can forgive past grievances and forge a better future."
Jaune smiled—small, genuine, a little disbelieving—and chuckled under his breath.
Blake tilted her head. "What is it?"
"You just… heh. I dunno… You remind me of Princess Yelen from Mecha Wars: Wings of Peace… in a good way! In a good way."
"I'm not familiar with that one. Who is she, and how am I like her?"
Jaune scratched the back of his neck, growing more animated as he explained. "Well… at first she wants revenge on the NIMH organization for killing her father. Then she learns she's the heiress to a kingdom dedicated to total pacifism, so she tries to bring peace to a warring Remnant and the space colonies. She gets threatened with assassination, used as a tool by people who want to rule over Earth and space… but she's so popular she nearly ends the war. Her brother Sento wants to make a war so big and terrible that nobody will ever want another one… but she sticks to her convictions and grows and becomes this crazy badass. She's always trying to live up to her ideals even when it's hard, and she finds a way…"
He trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. "I-I dunno…"
Blake stepped closer, a soft smile curving her lips. "And… does she find a blonde doofus of a noble-hearted knight?"
Jaune flushed. "Ah, well… actually it's a child soldier who tries to kill her a few times, but she humanizes him."
"Ah." Blake's smile widened just a fraction. "Well, it sounds like an interesting drama. Maybe you and I could watch it sometime?"
"I… yeah. It has a lot of giant robot fights."
"Then I suppose it would be worth watching just to see what the Paladin was intended to be."
"Oh yeah, that thing… it's like a complete joke…"
They continued walking along the quieter paths of the garden, the tension of the earlier conversation easing into something warmer. As they passed a koi pond, a seabird suddenly dove, snatched a fish from the water, and began eating it with noisy satisfaction.
Then the scent reached Blake first—familiar, and unwelcome.
Three figures in dark clothing stepped out from the shadows of the trees ahead.
Blake's ears flattened. "…Karen? Is that you? Did Adam really let you back in?"
At the same time she discreetly thumbed her Scroll, sending a silent ping to Penny.
Karen's lip curled. "Blake… I see you sold us all out. All to be some human's whore."
Jaune's Aura flared bright and hard around him. His voice dropped into something cold and steady that Blake had only heard a handful of times.
"…You have ten seconds to turn yourselves in peacefully."
Blake didn't bother answering the insult. She simply drew Gambol Shroud in one smooth motion.
Karen laughed. "You really think we'll be caged and leashed like you? We escaped your little attack on us, and now you're going to pay!"
One of the others—an elephant Faunus with heavy tusks—raised an assault rifle and opened fire.
Jaune moved first, stepping in front of Blake and surging his Aura into a dense shield that absorbed the initial burst. The ground around them cracked from the force of the impacts. He drew Crocea Mors in the same motion and unleashed a wide Aura Slash that tore up the path and filled the air with a sudden cloud of debris and flying leaves.
That was Blake's opening.
She leapt forward, forcing herself to remember Nick Arc's advice about using her clones offensively rather than purely for retreat. A Fire Dust-infused clone surged ahead of her. Karen's short sword cut through it—and the resulting explosion sent the older woman flying backward into a tree trunk with a sharp crack.
Blake closed on the third attacker, a quick mousy Faunus already drawing an Uzi. Knives flashed through the air; she deflected two with Gambol Shroud's ribbon and closed the distance.
Jaune, meanwhile, was locked in a brutal exchange with the elephant Faunus. The bigger man's spear thrust again and again; Jaune tanked the hits on his shield and answered with heavy, punishing sword strokes that forced the larger opponent to give ground.
Blake's second Fire Dust clone charged the elephant Faunus at the same moment she pressed the mousy one. The distraction cost the big man dearly—Jaune's next Aura Slash at near point-blank range blasted him clean through a tree trunk in a shower of splinters.
Karen had recovered enough to switch to gun mode and open fire on Blake. "History is our guide! We ruled this world after the Moonshatter! Humanity stole from us! Took from us! Enslaved us!"
Blake dodged, ribbon whipping out to tangle Karen's weapon arm. "Even assuming Adam's rubbish is real—if Faunus are so superior, how could humans steal anything? How could they overcome us if we were so superior-?!"
"TRAITOR!" Karen snarled, barely blocking Jaune's sudden strike from behind with a second short sword. "Was that human's cock really big enough for you to betray us?!"
Blake's ears flattened in pure exasperation. "Why is everything sex with you?! Can't someone be motivated by something more than basic biological functions?"
"WE ARE ANIMALS AT OUR CORE! YOU'RE JUST IN DENIAL!" Karen unleashed a wave of Ice Dust that momentarily enshrouded the area. She tried to flank Blake through the mist—and ran straight through a shadow clone.
Blake's knee came up hard between Karen's legs. Gambol Shroud's hilt cracked against the back of her head in the same motion. Jaune's follow-up strike to the chest sent the woman crashing into the tree a second time.
All three White Fang members were still trying to rise when plasma cannon fire lanced down from above.
Penny descended on rocket thrusters, expressions of focused determination on her face as she methodically put each of them down with carefully calibrated non-lethal shots.
"My apologies, Friends! Are you okay?"
Jaune lowered Crocea Mors, breathing hard. "We're okay… When did you get a plasma cannon?"
"It is a recent upgrade because I was a good girl!"
Despite everything, Jaune managed a breathless grin. "You totally were!"
Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and glanced toward a more secluded garden alcove a short distance away. "We'll recover over there while you handle this threat. That work, Penny?"
"Absolutely, Friends!"
They moved into the quieter space while Penny efficiently secured the unconscious attackers and contacted the proper authorities. Blake and Jaune sat together on a low stone bench, still holding onto each other more tightly than either of them would have admitted under normal circumstances.
"…You okay?" Jaune asked quietly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Blake's voice was steadier than she expected. "You did great, by the way. You've made a lot of progress."
"Me? You were amazing…" He looked down, almost embarrassed. "I-I'm just… a sledgehammer—"
Blake kissed him.
It started soft and almost chaste—an impulsive thank-you, a reward for the hero, a small reclaiming of the evening she had planned. Then it deepened, grew hungrier for a few heartbeats, before she deliberately pulled it back to something gentler. When she finally drew away, her forehead rested lightly against his.
"You are so much more than just a sledgehammer, Jaune. I want you to know that."
"Hwah… Heh… Th-Thanks…"
Blake's smirk returned, quieter this time. She used Karen's confiscated Scroll to activate an emergency beacon and ensure the authorities would find the three attackers without difficulty. Then she gently guided the still-flushed Jaune deeper into the garden, toward a more private section where the lantern light barely reached.
"I-I mean, uh… Blake… maybe we should call the cops—"
"Right! Yes. Yes, we should." She pulled out her own Scroll, already making the call, while silently scolding herself. Steady, girl. Don't get tunnel vision and ruin it.
They ended up sitting close together on another bench, still leaning into one another as the adrenaline slowly drained away.
"I'm sorry," Blake murmured after a while. "I don't know why they were so eager to attack. The White Fang doesn't really go for these sorts of attacks. At least, not in public places like this."
Jaune's arm settled more securely around her shoulders. "Our kids got most of them arrested when they blew up Mount Glenn… There were escapees. Makes sense they would need cells in the city to maintain intel for their plans."
Blake's ears lowered. "…And to be honest, part of why I left the White Fang was because I thought Adam was losing it. And going by what the future children who know of him have said… he only ever got worse. Could Adam have jumped off the deep end? And if he survived the attack… what if he decided to send any remaining cells after me? Us?"
Jaune's arms tightened. "We won't let that happen, Blake… I won't let that happen."
The images rose unbidden—future Jaune, scarred across so much of his body, the marks Adam had left while trying to bleed him out. Jaune had killed Adam in that timeline. But the scars had remained. He had suffered so much… because of her. Because he had loved her.
She shouldn't burden him with that. She shouldn't burden anyone with that. If Adam is starting to attack people over her, she should remove herself from the equation…
And yet…
Leander and Leandra's voices echoed in her memory, patient and stubborn. Running had never worked. Not from her parents. Not from the White Fang. Not from anything that truly mattered.
Blake wrapped her arms around Jaune more tightly and buried her face against his chest, nuzzling under his chin the way a cat might seek comfort.
"…Thank you."
Across the street, the neon sign of a discreet love motel glowed softly through the trees. Blake noticed Jaune's gaze linger on it for a moment longer than necessary.
She smirked, one finger beginning to trace slow circles against his chest. "What are you thinking about, Jaune? You're looking at that building over there pretty intensely…"
"Ah—uh—oh, well, um…"
Blake's voice dropped into something soft and teasing. "You know… Penny's going to be busy for a while. We could… you know… go over. I hear those establishments are very… private."
"B-Blake…!"
She fluttered her lashes up at him. "Yes, Jaune?"
"I… uh… I mean… the others…"
"They can take their turns." Her tone was almost educational. "It's all about finding the balance so everyone is happy."
"T-T-Turns?!" Jaune's face had gone such a vivid red that Blake briefly wondered if traffic could be stopped by it alone. He was rather adorable like this.
She cupped his cheek, pressed a tender kiss to the other side of his face, then looked him in the eyes with quiet warmth.
Jaune leaned in and kissed her properly this time—deeper, more certain. One arm pulled her fully into his lap. Blake returned it without hesitation, one leg sliding up over his hip as the kiss grew hungrier.
"Mmmm…" she murmured against his mouth. "We could go… and both find some relaxation…"
"I…"
She nipped lightly at his ear. "And maybe… start on the twins early~?"
She wasn't that reckless, of course. But the way Jaune's entire body reacted to the suggestion made the teasing more than worth it. His hand settled firmly on her ass, gripping—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH!
A sudden jet of ice-cold water blasted them both square in the faces.
"GAAAAHHHH!"
"MEEROOOW!"
Penny stood a short distance away, one hand still extended, looking both relieved and faintly apologetic.
"Thank goodness I was not too late again!"
Jaune sat there dripping, hair plastered to his forehead, expression somewhere between mortification and exhausted gratitude. "…Yeah… Thanks, Penny."
Blake's ears were completely flat against her head, water streaming down her face as she scowled. "…So much."
Penny beamed. "You are welcome!"
