Bonding with your Murder Loli

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Beta :

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Normally, going to see his friends was simple. He wore his armor and his sword, pulled his hood up, and walked on the roads Neo had shown him once upon a time. Back just after he'd come to Vale and tried to help her, as well as that had wound up working out for him. Only once had anyone bothered him, demanding a 'toll' until Jaune described who he was going to see while anxiously digging out his wallet. The man had paled, shoved, then shoved his own wallet back at Jaune and pointed shakily up the road. Confused, Jaune had taken the wallet and left, turning when he heard the man sprint away.

He'd asked if the guy worked for them when he got there, but hadn't gotten an answer. Still, since he hadn't seen him again, he figured that he hadn't.

Tonight, though, Neo told him to meet her up at the air-docks that he always got dropped off at. A message warned him she'd be a bit later to get there than he would, but that was fine. He found one of the sheltered benches around a corner, far enough from the door no one was around it and it had been mostly abandoned, a bit of wayward trash crumpled under it testament to how often it was frequented. Hood up, he'd settled into reading on his Scroll while he waited.

A tiny hand patting his knee drew him from the new X-Ray and Vav chapter. A small girl, maybe half his height plus change, was smiling at him. Green eyes, blackpig-tails and a gothic look, he didn't recognize her.

"Yes?" He tried, blinking when her brows furrowed and her head cocked to the side in a clear 'really?' gesture. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I'm waiting for someone, but do you need help finding your parents, little girl?"

Slowly, so slowly it looked like genuine effort, the girl's head cocked the other way. Then she blinked, equally slowly, before an eye twitched. She looked left, then she looked right, before planting a knee on his thigh and leaning in. Stammering, he leaned back, but fragile, small hands fisted in his hair to hold him still as her angry face filled his vision.

Green eyes blinked, and came back pink and brown as Jaune realized his mistake. "Ohhhh, Neo. I didn't recognize you." When she bounced back, face entirely unamused, and started counting he stiffened, "U-Uh, what are you counting down?"

"Your headstart." She signed with one hand, counting with the other.

"B-But I just... " He trailed off and she kept thinking, while he raked his brain for something to keep himself breathing with. Finally, he settled on his dad's patented, age old, surefire solution.

Bullshit.

"I-I was just distracted! I was so excited, waiting on my adorable training partner like I have been, I didn't even think you might wear a disguise." The compliment, weak as it was, seemed to work, making her pause her counting for a minute. Seeing the advantage for what it was, he kept it up, like he was taking advantage of an opening in armor. "A-And I like the new look. I mean, you were the prettiest girl I'd ever seen already, but wow! I'm just… Wow."

"Really?" She blinked, counting hand used to sign the words. "You think I'm that pretty?"

"Y-Yes." Damn his stammer! It was thanks to that her eyes narrowed in doubt, and he had to rush on, "W-Why else would I come down to the warehouse district every weekend if not to get training from the prettiest and best fighter in the city?"

"Flattery won't help you if you suck at it, Jaune." She'd stopped counting, though, he didn't risk pointing out. After a moment she smiled, shrugged, and slammed a heel into his foot.

His Aura flared but he still hissed, yanking his foot up and whining, "Why…?"

"Because you called me a 'little girl', dick." She sighed, crossing her arms and plopping into the seat beside him.

"I'm sorry." He tried again, the girl giving him a look that demanded more and drew a sigh from him. "I just… Okay, don't hit me, but you're small, so I- Ow, I said don't hit me!" She smiled but crossed her arms, and he sighed, "You're small, and you look different. Cute as they are, the pigtails didn't help that. Maybe warn me next time you want to wear a disguise so I know what it looks like?"

After a long second, Neo sighed silently, "I didn't think to."

"That's fine." He answered, knowing that was likely as close to an apology as she was able to get to. Which was just how she was, really, and he'd grown more than used to it. "So," he pushed on, "what's the plan for today, then? Did you just wanna show off your new look before we meet up with our friend, or did you have a plan?"

"Roman has too much work." She answered simply, smiling at how easily he moved on. A small smile, barely there, but one he saw and knew the meaning of. "Won't be free for a few hours. Said we should go ahead and hang out on our own for tonight."

"Is he okay?" Jaune asked, grimacing for a moment before adding, "I-If it's something I can help with, then maybe I could-"

"It's illegal." Neo cut him off, shrugging as though that alone ought to end the conversation. He raised his eyebrows and she signed on rapidly, eyes flicking out to the street warily as she did. Though, someone watching them who knew sign was less than likely, as relatively rare as the need to was. "Nothing super bad, of course. Moving stolen cargo mostly. Just taking time."

"Ah." He blinked, leg bouncing idly as he thought. Finally, quietly, he asked, "So? I can still help. Especially if I'm just lugging crap around."

"No, Jaune." Neo shook her head, eyes locked on his own now. "You aren't involved in any of that. You're not like us."

"Really? I'm not?" He laughed, genuinely amused by the question. Neo's eyes narrowed but was terrible at taking hints. Even when he saw them. "Funny, I thought that I was a felon waiting to be noticed."

"You're different." She signed after a moment, hesitating and adding, "Good. Better."

"Neo, I robbed my family, sword and Lien for transport both, to get here." He argued quietly, giving her a hard, sidelong look that had even her blinking for surprise. Green eyes flashed to pink for it, another sign of hers he was more than adjusted to. "Now, I'm lying to everyone around me except you and him. The only people I'm honest with are criminals, Neo."

"You just want to help people, though." Neo argued, knowing he put no insult in the word 'criminal' and not rising to it. "You're a good person."

"Not really." He sighed, leaning back against the bench and letting his head loll back to rest against cool brickwork. Head turned so he could see her, he went on, smiling more thinly now as he spoke, "I'm a bad one, actually, I think. Every time we go out on missions, when they start, I'm risking their lives for my own benefit."

"But you-"

"And I'm fine with that, Neo." He cut her off, grabbing her hand mid-sign. She stiffened warningly and tried to pull it free, but for once, he didn't let her go. He needed her to listen, and if she really wanted to cut in, her other hand was free. "When I'm out there with them, they won't be risking their lives alone. I'll be right up front, in the thick of it. Things go sideways, and I'll be the first to go down."

Her other hand, left free so that she could speak, swung around so fast his Aura couldn't snap up in time. Cheek stinging, he watched her hands sign in a mad flurry, hard brown and pink eyes searing into his own until he murmured, "You're going too fast…"

Screaming mutely towards the sky, she mimed strangling something for a bit longer than normal until, finally and slowly enough he could understand, she signed, "Don't talk like that."

"I'm just being honest…"

"Don't. Talk. Like. That." She signed, punctuating each word with a fist to make the enunciation very clear for him. A weird way to do it, but then, he wasn't sure of any other way to accomplish that specific thing. "Don't be an idiot. Dying is not allowed, Jaune. Especially for something as dumb as that."

"An idiot?" He blinked, "How am I-"

"Yes." She nodded, cutting him off with a roll of her eyes. "An incredible idiot. Do your best but if you accept you'll probably die then you will. If shit is that bad, then run away and get help."

"That's not what a Huntsman would do, though." He argued, "A Huntsman would stick it out to the very last, no matter what happened."

"You're not one, though." She countered easily, eyes flashing back to green as she sighed. "You're a criminal. A thief and a liar. Selfish enough to rob your own family and lie your way into this mess."

"That's my point, though, Neo. That I'm a- Well, I won't say it, but you know. I'm like you guys in my own way." She blinked in realization and he laughed, smiling warmly at her for his win even as she pouted. Victorious, he squeezed her hand to remind her he had it, earning a blush and her yanking it away like she'd been burned. "Compromise?"

"Depends on what it is."

"I won't push to get involved, and I promise that I won't be dumb." She nodded, happy enough with that already for obvious reasons. "But if you guys need my help, no matter what it is- No, you have to listen to my side, too, Neo or it isn't a compromise. It's just you winning."

"Yeah." She nodded, smiling brightly, "I like winning. Winning is fun."

"Uh huh, I bet." Feeling brave, he flicked her nose and laughed when her eyes crossed and her cheeks puffed out. He'd pay for it later, he knew from her red cheeks and scowl, but it had been worth it. "We're compromising though, Neo. You're a big girl, I know you can do it."

"Fine." She sighed, smiling in spite of herself. "Let me guess, we have to tell you if we need help. Right?"

"Got it in one." He nodded, offering a hand for her to shake. "Sound like a deal to you, too?"

After a moment she sighed, looked to the sky as though help would come from the gods or something, and then took his hand. "Deal," she signed with her free hand, "but only if we absolutely have to."

"You do." He assured her, taking a breath now their argument, short lived or not, had come to an amicable enough end. "So," he started, "what now, then? I'm assuming you came with plans other than a little spat between friends?"

"Friends?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow challengingly and smirking at him. "Are we friends now, Jaune?"

"Yeah- No- Maybe?" He blinked, chewing on his bottom lip and watching her for a long moment. Finally, she broke, shoulders shaking and mouth open in a body shaking, silent laugh. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up."

"Movie and dinner?" She signed around her mute trembling, giving him an almost invisible look he didn't understand. "Roman gave me some Lien and told us to have fun without him, since we couldn't spar like normal."

"Sure." He shrugged, trying to fight the question over whether this would be a date or not. He doubted it, of course, but… Well, Neo was weird and he was kind of desperate in that department. "Why not? You can pick both if you like, too."

"Okay." She signed, hopping up and dragging him with her by a hand he hadn't realized she'd taken. Dragging him with her and smiling widely, she signed over a shoulder, "I know a great action flick and steak house we can enjoy together."

"S-Sure." It wasn't a date, though, he kept telling himself even as his throat dried out. "Whatever you wanna do is fine by me."

"Dangerous words to say to me, Jaune." She signed, turning to give him a wink and dragging him along. He asked what she meant, but she ignored him entirely. Confusing little murder loli, as usual.

But hey, she did look cute in that skirt.

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Quick and typical advisory-

Length is random on side-fics. As is the content. In this one is character building, for this version of Jaune.

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Zenith Tempest :

You pose some good ideas there, friend-o~

Nine Yetis :

I don't know why but I find them so smooth and easy to write… S'weird.

Dr Killinger :

Hey, Neo doesn't need to be told she's adorable.

X3runner :

Yeah, wears it on his sleeves, Jaune does.

Sssddd :

Good to hear!