6-Punk Bitch

The halls of Beacon were so foreign to Winter, she had only ever known Atlas, the military. She'd visited every kingdom, either on diplomatic missions or to solve their issues for them. Yet it was the strange hallways of a school she'd never attended that struck her as the strangest, so unlike the rigidly structured passageways of Atlas Military, it was like a different world.

Yet the contestants that were representing Atlas in this Vytal festival seemed to be adapting to the rooms quite nicely, maybe a little too nicely, and as apparent; more than just the contestants.

Winter stood outside the room that was her destination, parting the wooden frame and entering the wall of scents, nacho chips, cream soda, the stale scent of beer. The sounds of video games beeping and loud music muffled by the headphones still pressed to the wearer's head. Jaune's team was fitting in alright, she just wished Clover wasn't also wasting his time with such trivialities.

Amber, Penny Harpy and the aforementioned Clover were all relaxing on the imported beanbags, surrounding a big TV with some side view fighting game, big explosions going off whenever someone was knocked off the edge with some annoyingly excited, deep-voiced announcer declaring a 'RING OUT!' each time. Notably the only one not playing was the perfect, glory of Atlas herself, Amelia Pale who was diligently cleaning their uniforms and hanging them up clearly having Ironed them to perfection.

Idly, Winter wondered where Jaune Arc was, but didn't have the energy to ask them after seeing the disappointing sight of her prized ace team being such slackers.

"Ahem!" She cleared her throat to get their attention but not a single one of them looked up, with great annoyance she did it again with more urgency in her voice. "AHEM!"

"Shhh!" Amber shushed her which made her recoil, face getting a little red, tilted off balance and off her game.

"Salutations!" Penny called out loud enough that it echoed down the entire hallway.

"After this match, It's a big tie-breaker," Clover assured his superior officer, but had a playful smile on his face, clearly more relaxed than the scoreboard was indicating.

"Tie-breaker?' Harpy chided, 'tsk'ing him. "You're what? Zero for nine?"

"You shouldn't be playing video games at all, any of you but especially Clover," Winter said with some fluster to her voice, clearly unsure of how to deal with any of these children, especially the adults of these children.

"This is more than just a video game, it's a very tactical combat simulation, it's training them to be better hunters and I- as their mentor- have to lead them throug- AMBER NO!" Clover snapped his attention back to a screen where a practically naked girl with a massive ass was nearly knocked off the ring, only to catch on by the very tip of their model.

"You Lu- bitch ass! Mother fu-" Amber crused under her breath slouching further forward getting more intense as the fight went on.

"I'm guessing you're the proactively dressed one?" Winter sighed, putting her face in her hands, speaking with that disappointed tone towards the one who should be looking after these students.

"Chi-Lun? She's the mistress of battle-trained by the forces of darkness as a secret assassin only to have a change of heart when her lover Maki sacrifices himself to the demon king for her soul, her path of - AMBER FUCK OFF!"

"RING OUT!" The game announcer called and clover sighed putting his controller down, putting a hand over his face.

"I win! 10 for 10, who's the queen?!"

"You're the queen," Clover grumbled answering her and handing over a twenty lien note.

"You're gambling with students?" Winter sounded aghast.

"What? No!" A pause. "Okay yes. But in my defence, she pretended to be really bad before I made the bet."

Amber just snickered and stuck the note into her shirt, kicking back and handing off her controller to Penny while Harpy nabbed the one Clover was using, both of them taking over and starting up a new match. "FIGHT!"

"Clover, you may have talent, skill, a stable job with the respect of everyone around you." Amber started, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But someday you might be half as cool as me, So keep trying buddy, you'll beat me one day."

Clover just rolled his eyes, giving her a patronizing nod. "Of course Amber, I bow to your superiority."

"Of course, I radiate super-ority, I'm pretty great if." Rubbing the back of her nails on her collar to shine them

Harpy couldn't help but smirk at that, Winter just gave a heavy defeated sigh. Parting her fingers to see that Amelia had brought over a glass of water with a lemon in it to her. "Jaune let them have the day off from training, let them enjoy the little victories."

"I supposed you're right but they have more to worry about than just this festival.. There is more going on and they know that." Winter sounded exhausted, like the meeting Ironwood had weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"Do you want to sit down and talk about it? I can make some tea and brush your hair?" Pale offered with a sympathetic tone, already walking Winter down towards a sitting table with a kettle on it. Winter just nodded.

The whole crew was finally together, minus a few faces, Ceil was out doing paperwork and Jaune was off somewhere, but the group that had travelled from Atlas for this festival was finally together, they had smiles, talked about feelings and cheered over victories in games. Amber picked on Harpy for getting beaten by Penny, Clover laid back and let amber pluck his eyebrows, Pale and Winter had a good heart to heart while Pale encourages Harpy to keep trying and that she was doing great every time she got frustrated at the game not going her way.

"This controller is bad luck, I blame you, Clover." She growled, music blaring into her ears from the big kat ear headphones over her short neon pink hair.

"That would be the opposite of what I do." He commented back but winced with Amber plucked a big hair out.

"Shush or I'm doing your nose next." Which got Clover to stop talking and just whimper in the mild pain of her insistent plucking.

"Where is your team leader, by the way? I have not seen Jaune since yesterday." Penny asked, barely paying attention to the game at hand and looking over at Amber and Pale. still managing to knock Harpy out of the ring without giving the effort to even pay attention.

"FUCK!"

"Jaune?" Amber put a finger to her lips and thought about it, stopping her work to really dedicate the brainpower to figure that out. "I think he was going to… Uhh, see something with Ironwood and Pale's sister?"

"They're tag-teaming her like I'm GOING TO DO TO YOUR DA- FUCK!" Harpy roared losing another round and kicking the air violently, hitting the play again button instantly. "I will murder an entire orphanage, fuck this shit!"

"Maybe you should take a break, Harpy?" Amber put a hand on her shoulder.

"MaYbE YoU Should suck my nuts." Harpy mimicked her with a hefty amount of sarcasm, but Penny with a bright smile was just excited to play games with her friends.

"Okay but I get next round." Amber pouted pulling out an extra painful hair and making Clover wince from the action. "Shh quit moving!"

Winter flinched at how aggressive Harpy sounded, knowing the girl had a temper, but this was on a whole other level. Her head turned towards Pale and took a gracious sip of that tea. "Is she always like this in private?"

If this could be considered private.

"Harpy? No, she's a bit on edge, always is whenever Jaune isn't around." Pale said in a wistful motherly tone. Like she just wanted her kids to get along with each other and stop fighting.

"Jaune?" Winter didn't spend much time with the kids but did remember one training session that ended in a screaming match between the two. "I… I mean it's no secret you all are... Well- together that is. I just assumed they- well- weren't?"

Pale raised an eyebrow at that, obviously about to say something before the door opened up, the man of the hour himself, Captain Arc stood in the doorway. "You guys almost done? I call next rou- Winter."

Jaune and Winter shared a measured look, obviously, he still had reservations about her heritage, even if the smile that crept across his face was evidence of his effort to push past that. They had worked together long enough that the tension had mostly faded, still, she could see the festering resentment behind his eyes when he first looked at her.

She appreciated the acknowledgement it wasn't fair to her, even if she did agree with what Weiss had done, he had cheated the system and was punished accordingly. No one here was under the impression what he did was right, and Jaune was leagues above the person she first knew him as. So he didn't blame her and she didn't blame him.

The look still hurt.

"Arc." She answered in kind, her face creeping into a smile as well. Which seemed to get the attention of Harpy, still playing her game.

Though when she dropped off the edge this time she didn't get mad, instead she just got up and dumped her controller in Winter's lap. "Your turn."

Winter balked, recoiling from the controller like it was a snake trying to bite her. "W-Wh, I don't know how to play!"

"Just don't die." Harpy chirped, rolling her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her hand wrapping around Jaune's wrist and tugging him hard towards the adjoining room. "You're fucking dead, Arc." She grumbled.

Pale and Amber just smiled, a little knowing glance between them while Clover and Winter seemed genuinely worried, the robotic teen more engrossed in being able to compete against Winter in their game.

Though there was little anyone could do because Harpy practically threw Jaune out of the room before he could properly even say hello to anyone. Winter wincing as the door slammed shut, with her male counterpart the leader of the ace ops looking back at her with a concerned gaze. He seemed to be asking if they should step in. She just tapped her fingers against the table, unsure if they should, it was no secret that Jaune…

Well, that Jaune fucked.

He fucked a lot it seemed, and it would be impossible for the girls not to know, actually the rumour was the opposite, that they were the ones who wanted him to go around behind their backs. He had Amelia Amber and Harpy and it was impossible to tell who was dating who to the point people just gave up and said they were all dating each other. But if rumours from Neon, Ceil and a few others were to be believed, the girls approached them first about being... Ahem… accessories to the nighttime activities.

Winter was blushing just thinking about it.

Still, to think Harpy would be so bold as to drag him off, to a room with such thin walls at that.

Behind that door, Jaune backed away from the door and hit his hips against the desk nearby, Harpy stalking him down, her head hung low. Marching with the intent of murder and purpose, a hand curling into his shirt, fingers pulling him closer so he couldn't run away.

"H-har-" He was cut off by her other hand hitting his chest, lightly, luckily.

Both of her hands on his chest with her head down he realized she was shaking, that fear melting into understanding, he'd seen this before, a bunch of times. Jaune brought his arms up and wrapped them around her, pulling her close. Even with her stance being so antagonistic she melted at his shoulder and found herself curled up against his chest, whimpering silently, not wanting any weakness to eep through her voice.

"What's wrong my sweet bee?" His hushed tone filled with feathered like a warm blanket.

"I… I was upset and said something mean to Penny and Amber… Clover too." Her grumbled tone was barely audible. Like she didn't want to admit it. Jaune's fingers found her hair, patting down the loose strands, lips kissing the top of her head.

"They know you didn't mean it." He reminded her, "We're your friends, you aren't getting rid of us over one light jab."

"Why do I do this? I don't want to be like this."

"Baby." Jaune hushed. "What do you mean? I love you the way you are, even when you make fun of me." She laughed at that, both of them crumbling down onto the bed like folded clothes. "What's wrong? None of us are upset with you, you know that."

"I…" she stammered, hands coiling in his shirt tighter. "I got jealous, not the fun kind, not like with Neon or Amber…"

He didn't need an explanation for that one, just a solemn nod. He didn't say anything, he didn't judge her, didn't ask her any other questions, just let her collect those thoughts. When she was finally ready she took in a deep breath. "Giving Lia and Nora to you… it was, it was really hot, I thought…" A pause. "Amber and I got back and it was great, but I couldn't get this feeling out of my gut."

"It's okay to not be okay with this, I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable."

"You didn't do anything, you idiot, don't apologize." her tone was gruff, back to her normal self for a moment before she collapsed back into her own self-loathing. "I literally brought them to you, I love that little spike of wanting you, then jumping you when you get back, reminding you that I'm the best-" she stammered then raised her head to put her lips next to his ear. "I'm your best little slut. That no matter what they do I can do it better, it gets me so hot thinking about out fucking those sluts we bring you."

Jaune felt a shiver of desire crawl up his spine. "Fuuck~" He breathed.

Then her head fell onto his shoulder. "I… I got bad jealous though. Because they used to be your friends. Just scared you'd go back to them." Before he even got the chance to reassure her that would never happen she put her palm against his face, keeping him silent with the flat of her palm. "I know- I just, I felt terrible about it. I know you love me because I love you, Love you with my whole fucking heart, like a stupid idiot, but I do."

"Yeah but you're my stupid idiot." He snidely remarked into her palm, getting another little giggle from her. "It's okay-" He took her hand off his face and intertwined his fingers with hers. "You're my rose, thorns and all, I'd never trade you for anyone or anything."

Jaune started to hum a tune, just something slightly off-key, a few short notes but it did the trick, it got a few tears coiling at the edges of her eyes. "You're allowed to have feelings, Harpy, you're allowed to regret things, or realize you didn't want something halfway through. Your comfort- you being happy is the only thing that matters to me."

There was a pause between them. "Do you want me to tell them I'm not comfortable with that kind of relationship?"

"No! I...It was just a moment, and…" There was something to her tone, she wanted something, "Ca- can you do that thing I like?"

"With everyone right there? You tend to get loud whe-" Jaune felt a harsh jab to his ribs and a glare upwards from the girl in his arms. "Ah- that thing."

To which he laid back and put his arms up over his head, letting her lay down across him. Her eyes didn't shut even as they got lidded, focusing solely on the way she wrapped her arms around his torso, holding him tight. It wasn't until he had a hand on her arm, the other slowly patting her head that she slowly, in the millimeter of his slow stroking, started to close her eyes.

Comfort was such a distant idea.

But it was a nice luxury when you could afford it.

______________________________________________________

"Alright class, I want everyone paired up, people from different teams too, don't just pick your friends!" Jaune looked over the rows of heads from his class, still unsure ini his role as their leader but standing in a pose that mimicked the one Ironwood always stood in. Hands behind his back with his chest popped out. Jawline set with a stern look over the class, While Amber looked at him with encouragement and amusement, Pale with a certain amount of pride, it looked like others hadn't let the weirdly obvious similarities pass them by.

It was now his second week in the Atlas Military academy, now taking his rightful place leading the team, though he wasn't technically a teacher, and there was faculty to oversee these 'lessons' he was left to decide how best to form the bonds of friendship and comradery between his classmates.

Which of course, the affable Jaune Arc, big of heart, small of brain, chose to do trust fall exercises.

To which the class, well, actually couldn't help but find kind of charming. It was lame and stupid, but they actually had a good time ironically doing it, and even coming up with ways to make stupid poses. Amber was preparing a farewell speech as she passed on into the grave, surely to die.

It was an odd sort of charisma the young Arc had. One wholly founded in the bright young naive smile and brimming enthusiasm that clung to his every feature. He believed that this was something that would bring people together, and even if they other's did not, he believed it more than enough for them and everyone else in the room.

And it wasn't even minutes before teams were starting to form between people who'd only had passing interactions. Jaune indicating for people who didn't have partners to join up together and even switching up people who seemed too familiar.

"Everyone have a partner?" Jaune looked around until he saw a single hand sticking in the air. "Huh? We have an even number of students…. Is anyone sick?"

There was an uneven silence until their captain followed the sidelong glances to a figure standing well apart of the rest of the crew, disinterestedly tapping away at her scroll. Of course it was Harpy.

"Harpy." he called out to her, a questioning voice like he was trying to get her attention as a teacher.

She didn't respond.

"Harpy!" She didn't even flinch when he raised his voice practically shouting at her from across the room. His head tilted, the silence of the room a deafening awkwardness, everyone unsure of how serious this little spat the two were having, since everyone knew Harpy and Jaune detested each other.

In fact it was fairly common knowledge they hated one another with a vile passion.

Jaune would regularly have to ask her to leave lessons and send her for punishments, while Harpy openly berated him in front of everyone. Neithering letting the other just do what they wanted, screaming matches were a common place.

Amber and Pale tried their best to mediate, but Pale was uncomfortable being alone with the punk bitch and Amber seemed to be avoiding Jaune since the two pairs got together, the four of them only ever getting along at all when they were either separated or all four together with the couples to mediate.

They had become something of troubled famous folk, everyone waiting for the next magazine headline in 'this day of their lives' story.

Jaune was marching over to her now, "Harpy, stop ignoring me, you might not like it but this is a class, even if you don't like me the lesson is impo-" Jaune put his hand on Harpy's shoulder for her to actually lash out at him, swinging wildly with the back of her hand and connecting hard with the side of his face, making him take a step back from the impact. Though he recovered and stopped himself from toppling over with a- " tent…."

"Fucking shit, dude, don't just go grabbing people, you're lucky I only hit you a little, asshole." The snarky wannabe popstar growled, her tone flat and deeply annoyed, pulling an earbud with music blaring out of it from her hair. "What do you want?"

Her gaze fell on the students watching and even the other teachers who'd just witnessed her hit another student, Winter was actually about to step forward and issue a more formal punishment but it was Clover who put a hand up to stop her. "Let's see how he handles it, it's a learning experience."

Jaune stood back upright, there was a bit of blood on his tongue, his cheek cut against his teeth. This was it, this was the time he'd finally get her kicked out, he'd been making excuses and holding back but now she was assaulting superior officers, that was not allowed and she had to be punished for it, she was a liar and a cheat and she nee-

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snuck up on you." Fucking simp. He chastised himself. His voice still dripping in the barely veiled rage that boiled under the surface. "Regardless you should not be listening to music during a lesson, you were supposed to find a partner and follow orders."

Harpy just looked at him with lidded, glazed eyes, like she wasn't sure if he was serious or not. " Orders? From you? No way. Oh yeah, I'm not doing the gay trust whatevers."

She just shrugged and put her earbud back in, or she would have his Jaune clear his throat, staring her down with death gleaming in the back of his pupils. The space between them was small, a gymnasium most schools were used to, well besides the fact it was a black bow with gravity dust used to change the land and float platforms around, a training area that could become any terrain the class needed. Which right now was a flat empty space with a few raised platforms for falling from.

"You will be assigned a partner, and if you do not participate then you will be failed."

"You can't fail me, besides this isn't a graded class, it's some bullshit team cult thing we're supposed to do so you feel like the special helmet boy you are." She rolled her eyes, looking back to her scroll and flicking to a new song. "So buzz off and let me get on with my life. I don't care."

Winter was pretty sure she could see the blood vessel on the side of Jaune's head expand. Ready to pop at a moment's notice.

"Alright soldier, that'll be fifty laps around the gym, you'll be running while the person who would be your partner gets to watch and count each lap for you. That'll be your team building exercise." Jaune offered, the obvious easier thing to do would be cave in, he did have the authority to make her run laps after all.

"Not bad." Clover mumbled. "Give her a worse punishment but not one so harsh he couldn't enforce. If she says no it will be out of spite and she's just giving herself more work for her ego, which will of course, hurt her ego. Or she can swallow her pride and relent to his authority." He shrugged. "Not perfect but a good start.

"Yes. That would be the ideal situation, however I think you'll find that Harpy is much more-"

"Fuck off." She growled loud enough for everyone to hear the genuine murderous annoyance in her voice.

"That." Winter finished.

"You can't tell a superior officer to fuck off!" Jaune screamed back, the shouting match already starting with a vengeance.

"You're not superior to me in any way shape or face you flat face fuck!" She shot back, putting her scroll away to face him. "You know what, if you are superior, make me run laps!"

There was a challenge there everyone was familiar with, Harpy loved to spar with people, boxing, swordplay, MMA, anything to throw punches and beat someone to a pulp. The only one who could beat her was Amber and the rest were a range of warm ups to minor bumps along her workout. Jaune didn't even count as a warmup. She beat him every time, no questions asked.

"I-..." He stammered, a red trickling into his face.

"That's what I thought!" She shot back, lording it over him.

"Alright, fine! Everyone Class dismissed, we'll pick this up again same time tomorrow with Miss loud-mouth here eager and ready to finally be a part of the team!"

There was a collective groan, knowing they'd see Jaune in the mess hall with an ice bag over his face later today.

"Don't even dismiss them, everyone, short recess, this wont be more than a minute. Go out get a drink and be back here in ten. I'll have him on the ground by then and you can all get back onto your little bitch parade without me." She announced smugly.

"Fine, have it your way." Jaune spat back, everyone already filtering out of the gym with exasperated sighs, ready to go get some lunch while they wait for these two to get it out of their systems.

Even as Pale stepped by and put her hand on his shoulder she tried to give him pleading eyes, trying to get him to just let it go, she knew better than anyone that Harpy was the real issue and that Jaune backing down wasn't just letting her walk all over him but it was opening the door to let any one of his classmates walk over him. Amber looked from Jaune to Harpy, trying to get the two to just be friends with her mind alone, but reluctantly left with Pale and the others, even the teachers left, with the few aceops that had tagged along lagging behind.

Marrow giving Jaune a thumbs up for good luck. Harriet scoffing, it wasn't until elm slapped him on the back that he even noticed she was there. "Good luck, captain in training!"

Jaune felt weird about that one, like she'd placed something on his back but nothing was there. Like she was still there. He looked around curiously before just waving her on. "R-right.."

Why did he feel so shook up after that, like he'd just taken a shot of extra strength espresso. No! He shook his head, slapping his cheeks and staring down the only person left, Harpy. "Alright how do you want to do this? Spears, bows, swords, Fists?"

Harpy just rolled her eyes. "Seriously you actually want to get your ass kicked, I figured we'd just skip to the part where I win and save you the ass beating. Let everyone think you're good enough to leave without bruises, this time."

His mouth opened, then closed, his brow setting. "Why are you such a rancid bitch all the time? It costs you nothing to be nice but you just wake up and decide everyone has to be as miserable as you, don't you?"

"I think about you at all, actually." She shrugged. "You're only worth the words of the insult because I don't want to refer to you in a neutral way and give you the impression I want you anywhere near me, or breathing my air for that matter. I hate you, and I do mean hate, if I could, I'd have you shipped off in a heartbeat."

Ironic.

"Arm wrestling." Jaune grunted. When she raised an eyebrow. "Arm wrestling."

"I'm not arm wrestling you."

"Then I found something I'm better than you at." There was a pause there, for all of her bravado, Harpy was like fish to hooks, she took every bit of Bait Jaune laid for her. At least in private, her pride that self worth of needing to be better and needing other people to believe it, was the only thing he really had over her.

"You fucker…" Her brow twitched, eyelid quivering with a mix of emotions and pure murderous intent.. ".. Fine."

Jaune raised up a platform. "What is your problem with me?"

"Don't think so highly of yourself, You're just like the rest of the static in the back of my tv screen, like everyone else here." The black cube that came up between them stopped at perfect height for them to put their elbows on. Putting hers down first and glaring across the makeshift table at him.

Jaune put his on too, but it was odd, like his elbow magnetized to the box, it felt stiff. He panicked thinking something must be wrong, there was no way he was going to be able to fight back with his hand like this but Harpy was already grabbing onto his palm and gripping it with enough strength that he winced.

"Nut up or shut up bitch." Her growling voice only strengthened his resolve.

"It's not everyone, you hate me, specifically. Why?"

"Ready? 3.."

"Harpy."

"2-1!" She quickly moved to one and pushed, Jaune trying his best to steady his arm and push back but it wa like it was pushing a house backwards, there was no give at all and he couldn't match her strength even if he had been using two hands.

Harpy's eyes were wide, disbelief and shock evident from her mixed expression. His hand wasn't moving at all. There was no give because he wasn't budging. "Wha?" Her hand moved back only slightly, her eyes refocusing and pushing back against him He could put her back if she let up but she wasn't able to push his hand back at all! "What the fuck, you're cheating!"

"How could I be cheating??" He didn't even have a reasonable argument, he was just as much shocked as her, but really what was driving him was that perpetual feeling of being insulted. She just kept insulting him, it was all personal, and now she was saying he cheated too??? "What the fuck did I ever do to you anyway? Huh?!"

"Really right now!?" She shot back, sweat forming on her brow, same as his, her teeth gritting hard. "I don't fucking care about you enough to do anything more than hate you like I hate everyone else!"

"Big bad loner dark swordsman bitch, huh? Why are you such a soft bitch around Amber then? Just actually a human when you think you can bang someone?" Her hand shifted back at that, her eyes flickering with something, something like guilt? No it wasn't that, unsuradness, unease.

"Fuck off! You don't get to talk shit to me about how to treat Amber, you're the one who left her for a bigger pair of tits and an even bigger purse!"

"Pale?" Jaune felt a sudden pang of his own unease, guilt. He… had done that, gone on date and left Amber with Harpy… sure they had their talk about how they would like each other no matter what, even though they both started to get feelings for other people. It wasn't until now he'd thought.

Well he'd thought that maybe he'd been hurtful with that action. That Amber liked him and he'd chosen first to leave her and go out with Pale… Amber had tried to make Jaune and harpy friends even if that failed miserably.

His own hand shifted back , his resolve fading, why was he suddenly using his own strength and not this weird stone magic?! Why had Harpy gotten to him? No she was deflecting- his arm stiffened up again, shaking off that dangerous spiral. "Amber and I are friends, there's nothing there and we agreed we'd be friends no matter what!"

"You're not stupid, Arc. She likes you and she made it more than clear and you just tossed her aside! You're a fucking asshole!" She spat back. "You abandoned her, she's lucky she found me!"

"You're the only thing making it hard for us to be friends!" he avoided the topic of playing with Amber's feelings, he… he had to make up his own mind about that. "So it is personal!" He announced confidently. "Because you think I fucked over your girlfriend??"

Being caught her hand shifted back, wavering only slightly. She was clearly struggling to find out why she couldn't beat him, while keeping him from pinning her hand down, she didn't really have the mental strength to think up a narrative, or come up with more lies, trying to struggle through one before… before well the truth came out. "I just hate people!"

"Not just you, but you are the perfect little god damn microcosm of everything I fucking hate about humans, faunus, the whole fucking lot! Every little detail about you is like an ant crawling under my fucking skin and it drives me insane!" She finally shouted, screaming it loud enough that her voice echoed for seconds after she was done, leaving her breathing heavy and her hand shaking.

"I never did anything to you! You started out like this!"

"It, because of how you started things off with everyone!!" She shot back instantly screaming at his face now, almost ignoring the match to yell at him, but it wasn't like he was really phishing down now either, far more interested in what she was saying.

"You are a fucking loser! You can't fight, you're failing practically every class, you stammer through words when you talk. How are you even in charge?! You're the worst leader I could possibly imagine and yet for some reason Ironwood picks you?" Her roaring voice cascaded over him like a falling tower, crashing all around the table to stood at. "You're a lair and a con man! You're going to ruin everything just by being here, Amber, Me, my new life! It's all going to go in smoke because of this little fucking game you're playing because you want to get head! I just can't believe no one else sees it!"

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Everyone is just a piece of shit manipulating and backstabbing each other to get what they want, lying and cheating to get where they are. You conned Ironwood and everyone else to be the leader even though you're shit at it. Amber can sense emotions but she's no mind reader so of course she thinks you have good intentions! Then you dump her and move onto the bigger weather model the second you can convince Pale to baby you, you're pathetic!" She spat at him, words stabbing into him like knives with their vitriol and hatred. " I'm just waiting for that day you decide you've milked this situation for all it's worth and turn tail like everyone else, dumping what remains for the rest of us to clean up!"

"Harpy…"

"Everyone is blinded by this nice guy act that you put on, thinking it's real when you're just the same asshole everyone else is."

"Have you ever thought It's not an act?"

"Of course it is! And it's working too, look at you! You have it fucking made and you didn't work for any of it! Captain, beautiful girls surrounding you on your team, girlfriend is a bombshell, everyone looks up to you! And what did you do to earn it? Get kicked out of a school for cheating and flash your pretty boy smile at them and everyone buys it! You're a fraud and a hack!"

Jaune was taken aback, his hand sliding back to further than where he started the first real time he'd lost ground. "Fuck you, Jaune!"

"I didn't ask for this!" He shot back, trying to collect himself, but in a strange way, she was right. Sure he'd suffered, fought hard to get here with Amber, he put in sleepless nights studying and working to improve himself, he was getting better slowly. But that was after he'd gotten all of this handed to him. Amber saved him, Ironwood recruited him, Pale sought him out, the class offered him a chance, Clover is mentoring him, Winter is trying to make peace with him.

What did he do to deserve any of this?

"It doesn't matter! I suffered, I worked, I struggled, I got here through blood and sweat and you got it handed to you on a silver platter! It's bullshit!" Tears were forming on the corners of her eyes now, rage billowing out into other emotions. It wasn't sadness, but pure raw emotion that brought the welling waterworks to the surface.

"I know!" He finally shouted back "I'm sorry, Alright! We both cheated but you work ten times harder than me, I don't deserve this but I'm trying!"

There was a pause on her end and her hand hit the table hard, her entire face pale and ghostly. "Say that again."

Jaune'd won but it didn't feel like he'd won. "I don't deserve this?" What had he said? Which part had her starting at him like she'd just seen his soul leave his body. "But I'm trying."

"The other part." She murmured, clearly not registering she'd lost either, deathly concerned about his weird half apology. "We both cheated." She clarified. "What do you mean by that?"

The blood rushed out of his face, his entire body really, he wasn't sure where it went but Jaune's entire body went cold and stiff. That wasn't how he wanted to spill the beans but it sure as fucking hell was -a- way to do it. "I.. I found your original application, I know you faked your transcripts. Just like I did at Beacon."

Well now… what to do about this?

_____________________________________________________________

Winding time back like the hands of a clock we find ourselves outside of the gym through the halls of Atlas academy. It stretched in every direction like a lumbering giant set of stone of marble, glazed and decorated in polished wood, metal lockers, tapestries and banners.

Pale normally wasn't one to just stand around, she always had to be doing something, even now her fingers twitched the need to fold something or fiddle with a pen, anything to keep herself busy.

She hated when Jaune and harpy fought, she hated when anyone fought and even though she knew he had to, else he'd just be inviting the other students to equally walk all over him, she just couldn't help but feel the nerves clutching at her palms with anxiety. It wasn't like she was worried he'd get hurt, it was just more the passive feeling that this wasn't going to go away any time soon, this was just who Harpy was, and it wasn't like she was a bad soldier. She just didn't deal with authority well, which was a hard personality trait to have in a military school.

Not that she couldn't also find fault with how Jaune was handling it, outbursts and stopping class just to give punishments. Still she had to admit the fault did lie with Harpy. She let out a sign, putting her palms against the lids of her eyes and rubbing hard. She would rather that no of it would happen to begin with and it was exhausting, but she was more than prepared to suffer through it.

Her team depended on it, she could help them and make sure everyone got along even if it -

"Hey you've been standing here for a while." Amber's fun bubbly voice actually made Pale flinch in surprise. Looking around and realizing she had been so lost in though she'd just stopped in the middle of the hall.

"A-Amber, I-" Pale couldn't help but feel a little heat rising in her stomach, her nose pickled, Amber had a scent to her, like pine and fresh snow on a sunny crisp morning before even the birds woke up. "I- Was just lost in thought, is all."

"I get lost in my thoughts sometimes, it's like… there's so much room between them, you kind of just wander around a lot." Amber nodded thoughtfully, to which Pale had to wonder, was… was she admitting to being empty headed?

When Amber gave a conspiratorial wink and a sly smirk only then did Pale realize she -was- making a joke about being empty headed, the nervous and awkward laugh she gave was earnest but sound so forced to her own ears. "Oh! I- I uh, get it! Ha. Ha ha!"

This couldn't be their first conversation alone together, could it? There was so much awkward tension between them, Pale had no idea what to say and the way that Amber seemed to just hold a thin lined smile and her own brain wracking itself behind her golden eyes for some kind of conversation to start. Amber's shoe kicked the ground, Pale teetered against the wall and half leaned against one of the supporting protrusions.

It was two people that had known each other and spoken together for weeks now, but had never had a conversation or even really knew that much about each other outside of their opinions of Jaune and Harpy. "So-"

"So-" They interrupted each other. "Oh no you first!

"No you, please I just walked all over you." Pale offered, extending a hand as if actually offering her something.

"I was just, well, wondering if you wanted to get some lunch? We might be out of class for a while." Her words carried on a tune, like she was trying to play it off as not a big deal or if Pale already made plans it wouldn't be anything life ruining.

There was a big smile that spread across Pale's face, soft and warm, Amber was such a gentle soul and there was always something so wholesome in the way she constantly wanted to spend time with other people. The taller, more buxom woman, even if only by the smallest amount, well she couldn't help but feel the warm fuzzies that wafted off her in waves, it wasn't the same feeling as her semblance, Pale would have known if it was, simply, Amber was infectious with her endless happiness and optimism.

"I'd love to, that.. Well that sounds just wonderful, positively wonderful." Pale agreed.

Amber beamed back in response, the awkwardness already evaporating into the air. They might not have a lot to talk about but food and good company was more important than needing to really say anything. Besides, Amber really was the best view around.

Wait that came out wrong, she tried to rephrase it, uhm, Amber was very… pretty. Yeah Amber was just aesthetically good looking, a very nice face with the perfect late teen-early twenties face. A little shorter than average but that just made her curves even more dramatic. She wore heavy sweaters and small shorts, showing off both way too much skin but leaving all the 'good bits' to the imagination. Her thick black hair and large wolf ears were cute but still kept her mature and in the more serious realm of attractiveness, than say cat ears or puppy ears. (is that racist? She decided not.)

Pale made a face and felt that twinge of conflict in her stomach. She… That just made it very clear to her that she did like the way Amber looked. Honestly the last time she'd really taken a moment to study someone and decide why she liked looking at them, was a moody Blonde boy trying not to look at her while drinking his smoothie. A blond boy she was hopelessly head over heels for.

So what did that say about this weird feeling she was getting from looking at Amber?

She shook it from her mind, banished it from the space behind her eyes. They had to get food after all, which luckily they weren't far from the cafeteria themselves. The large room; a massive dining hall with seventeen tables each able to hold fifty or more students, though often students just ate at their dorms or dorm rooms; they would have dinners or school events here for holidays or special guests.

"Today is poutine~" Amber was practically drooling. "Cheese is so good! I want to kiss whoever made cheese." Her reverence was commendable, infatuation really, Pale believed she'd do it in a heartbeat too.

"You're adorable." Pale waved her hand in the air, the two stepping in stride towards the line, Pale taking time to lean against the wall as they waited for the people in front of them to get their food. Both the girls getting more than a few heads turning, more than a few curious blush filled glances.

Pale had been turning heads since she was fourteen and went from an a-cup to a double D in the span of a week, from there she just never stopped growing and the number of heads that seemed to follow her on a swivel only got larger as his stomach stayed the same but her hips and chest just kept pushing outwards in wide harsh curves.

Not to mention the girl she was walking with liked to have bare open air legs, muscular but still had a layer of healthy fat clinging to them, they were thick, or Thicc. She liked the word thicc, thicc was fun, playful, easy to use and always felt like a gooey fun complement. Though Pale did love the way she wore her short shorts, with pretty much an equal amount of ass inside as out, she did sometimes wish there were less eyes following them as they walked.

Which wasn't to say Pale didn't like the eyes, she did. It made her feel- powerful wasn't the right word, powerful made it sound like ego, no she felt humbled by it, thankful. She put in effort to make sure she stayed the size she liked and when someone looked at her it was like something appreciating fine art, the effort, the aesthetic, she felt proud. Proud was the right word.

"You're pretty cute yourself." Amber made a face and shot Pale a wink. "How ya been, bee tee dubs, doing good?"

'Doing good?' It felt so simple but it was such an odd feeling to have it be asked, she was fine, she supposed. However there was a strange distance to it, Pale and Amber had every class together, lived together and besides their separate date nights, did everything together.

But Amber genuinely had no idea how Pale, 'Was'. Which made it only more evident how Pale didn't know anything about the wolf girl in front of her, let alone, how she 'was'.

The line moved slowly but the girls chatted about classes, their opinions of teachers and students. "Clover is cool, we're pretty much best friends, he lets me drive the planes sometimes."

Pale knew for a fact he did not. "He may only be our instructor when he's not on missions, but I love the passion he brings to the classroom, aren't he and Jaune rather close?"

"Pffft, Jaune gets along with everyone, especially the teachers." No everyone, Pale thought but didn't say it out loud. "I mean c'mon, Ironwood, Clover, Watts."

Amber's face grew a little dark, twisting into a mask of confusion, brow furrowing and a hand coming up to cover her chin. Pale got a confused look on her face, maybe she was just noticing the hard time Jaune normally had with girls, or perhaps she had picked up on his district of Winter. "I don't know any of their first names." She finally said with a measure of earth shattering reality.

The guy standing in front of them couldn't help but stifle a snort at that, covered up by Pale's own held back laughter. "Oh? Y-yea- Ahem… uh, Well, James Ironwood, Author Watts." She paused, putting a finger to her lips. "I thought Clover's first name was… Clover."

"Really? He seems like he'd have a super cool name, some kind of superhero alter ego. Like, Blane, or Ace, Or Triton."

"Triton?"

"Yeah like the king of the seas."

"Huh, those names feel like they belong to someone who frosts their tips and drinks bang energy to be honest." Pale waved her hand trying to dismiss the odd though, Finally getting a tray of lunch grub and thanking the lunch lady before stepping out of the way so Amber could get her tray.

"What's a bang energy?" Amber's brow furrowed.

Pale felt her heart skip a beat at the idea of giving any kind of stimulant to Amber. "Nothing, don't look it up."

Amber nodded like she understood, but the taller woman did make a mental note to check the fridge every night just to make sure she wasn't getting experimental. They picked a seat, far enough away that no one would just pick up words but they certainly weren't hiding away in a corner, both sitting down on opposite sides of the long pale wooden surface of the cafeteria dining tables. "He is pretty amazing like that, huh." Amber mumbled and when Pale looked confused she clarified. "Jaune, everyone gets along with him."

Well not everyone, a thought that seemed to cross both of their minds at the same time. They didn't say it outloud.

"I really got lucky with him, didn't I?" Pale asked, though it was more of a comment, dreamily she wanted to make clear how much she appreciated being with Jaune, even if people thought he was the lucky one for getting someone like her, she felt so thankful to have a good person in her life, a genuinely good person. "Then again he's also your best friend, so you're pretty lucky too."

Pale tried to wink and smirk at her companion, but the wolf girl's face grew a shade darker, looking with a certain measure of gloom down at her food. "Do… Do you think he hates me?"

The air changed but Pale tried to smile even brighter for it. Maybe Amber was making a joke, or was playing a prank, it could be a play on words? How? She didn't know, but she didn't want to fall for it right away.

Until she realized this wasn't a joke. "Oh. Amber no, he doesn't hate you, I said you were his best friend and I meant it! He cares about you a lot!"

Pale tried to sound reassuring but she had heard all about their confession, she knew Jaune had feelings for Amber when they got together, I mean come on, everyone thought they were a couple when they showed up, she was surprised when they weren't. But to find out it had only been the night before that they'd had that talk, and then she-

"Well.. I uh.. Well because I'm with Harpy, and how he found out." Amber averted her gaze, pushing her fork into the fries and gravy on her tray. "I uh, still feel bad about that."

"Amber…" Pale couldn't blame her, Jaune had been hurt, really hurt, Amber… well Amber couldn't not feel that. "Jaune- We talked about this, remember, it wasn't-" Pale tried to collect her thoughts. "Jaune was sorry for walking in on you, and you were sorry for surprising him with it. You two weren't committed, he was spending the night with me"

Then with a panicked afterthought "Not- Not like that though!" with her words more an awkward tilt than panic or nervousness. Which actually got a smile on Amber's face, seeming to enjoy the sentiment. "I just mean that, well, you and him talked about opening up to other people, right? He told you to go for it, so I'm sure he doesn't have any hard feelings about it."

Amber made a face, like she wasn't sure. She hummed and hawed over her response, fingers bunching together and Paler was sure she was fidgeting with her feet too. The little wolf girl was so cute when she was thinking, trying to think of anything and working out problems was a full body exercise and Pale was just dying inside trying to proclaim 'AWWWWW'.

"I still… I feel bad because I know it hurt him to see it, even if he, like, thinks it through and can excuse it, I still feel like he's mad at me, especially with how Harpy treats him." She let out a sigh and seemed to just melt into her chair, legs spreading out wide under the table and hands falling away as the cheese on her fries shifted similarly. "I feel like he should hate me."

"I don't think Jaune is capable of hating anyone, Why'd you do it anyway? Feels… Well… Sudden?" Pale was trying to say that one day felt a little rushed, I mean come on, she wanted to jump Jaune day one too but at least waited a week for posterity.

"It wasn't supposed to be a relationship." Amber mumbled. "Just a quickie, I was.." Her face turned a shade redder. Eyes dancing around the subject more than her words were. Pale could feel the waves of nervousness as wafting off her semblance with little care to control it. She tried to suppress it from affecting her but even now her heart was beating a little faster. "I was jealous, of…" Her words turned into a whisper "You and Jaune, you seemed so close right away and went off alone…"

She sighed and rolled her head back, practically draped like an old coat of the chair. "I just feel so stupid, and sure everything worked out, but I feel like he should hate me."

"Amber…" Pale was trying to find the words, maybe even a little bit in the back of her own mind, she felt some resentment towards Amber too. She'd seen how much that betrayal had hurt Jaune, how a wound of feeling betrayed had been opened back up, even if Amber didn't do anything wrong, well, the fact she'd hurt her boyfriend was more than enough reason to find some level of disdain.

But.

Jaune forgave her, honestly when he spoke of Amber he always said he missed spending time with her, that he didn't like having to share her with Harpy and during one absently minded cuddle, he'd admitted to feeling guilty about betraying HER. Because he'd so easily run off with Pale, feeling slighted by Amber being friends with Harpy he'd been more eager to find someone else and there was a well of guilt in his stomach about feeling like he'd pushed Amber away.

"Amber" She continued. "Jaune just wants you to be happy, he loves you, as long as you're smiling and happy, the rest is just set dressing." Before Amber could ask, as she opened her mouth to do so. "Set dressing is like little details that don't matter. He doesn't care about the little stuff, only if you're okay."

She made a face like that didn't make her feel any better. "You're looking for someone to blame you, to justify that feeling, sorry we're all about support and loving each other here." Pale chided.

Amber just rolled her eyes and lounged forward putting the fork with gravy on it against her fang like teeth. "Gosh, sometimes I just want to live in some edgy teen romance novel but you fuckers won't let me."

Letting the irony of using the word 'Gosh' and 'Fuckers' in the same sentence slip by; Pale just smiled, sticking a forkful of fries into her mouth and letting the satly, savoury delight wash over her taste buds.

"I suppose I should do something to make it up to him."

"Why not just try and spend more time with him? He misses you alot." Pale reminded her.

"Okay, I suppose so, it's just so hard to get time with him." She grumbled into her poutine, hard to stay unhappy while munching on cheese and fries but somehow she struggled through.

"Harpy?"

"Harpy."

"Trouble in paradise with the wicked witch?" Pale couldn't help the little jab, it felt good, even if she knew making fun of Harpy to her girlfriend was what scientists liked to call ' a dick move'..

What her sister was a scientist, as at some point a scientist one hundred percent said that.

Amber just snickered, clearly also enjoying the jab even as she gave a tenuous glance. "Well, yes and no, Things are really good, she's great, even if she doesn't show it to everyone." Something Pale had a hard time picturing, Harpy being soft and cuddly, emotionally receptive at all, or.. .well, romantic in any way. "But I just am feeling like, I'm not enough recently."

"You're really trying for this whole emo shtick aren't you?" Pale leaned forward, her chest laying on the table, which for comedic sake gave a creak under its impressive weight. "Darling, you can tell me about it, what's got you so upset?"

Amber pouted, leaning down so she could rest her chin on her palm, elbow on the table. "I think Harpy just wants someone who isn't me." Her vague statement was met with the proper amount of skepticism, Harpy never left Amber's side, she seemed practically obsessed with the wolf girl. "No.. Like… Uh.."

Pale tilted her head to the side, unsure as to why she was getting flustered.

"She wants me to call her bad names during sex." Pale blinked, barely registering that. "And hit her, and stuff."

That… wow that was like being slapped in the face. Pale opened her mouth to speak but closed it, trying to find the words to use, she had to be delicate, this was obviously something Amber was new too and she didn't want to make it seem weird if the girl wanted to experiment.

"What?" Smooth.

"She just, like, wants me to be mean to her, but like being mean just feels bad!" Amber was getting loud and a head turned so she covered her mouth, head getting lower to avoid attention. "I mean I feel everything she feels and like, it's a good feeling for her but makes me feel yucky."

Her bemoaning was met with a well articulated. "What???" from pale.

"Do I need to explain lesbian sex to you, because I can, its like regular sex but instead of a penis and vagina, its just one of those things." Amber was nodding, trying to explain it slowly.

"No, I understand that part." Pale tried to cover the blush on her nose but leaning backwards in her chair.

"The one thing is a vagina, there is no penis. That's the difference."

"No, I get it." Pale assured her.

"We just grind puss like rpg slimes."

"Thank you for the vivid mental image I really didn't need." Though the idea of Harpy and Amber locked together passionately making out while Amber tied her arms behind her back, legs twisted together with their wet womanhoods pressed together was really doing something for the white haired aristocrat. Her thighs closed, rubbing against each other. "Have you talked to her about this?"

"I did and we had regular hot lesbian sex, just tits and juicy puss everywhere!" Amber grumbled through it like the act was trivial, Pale disagreed. "But she didn't cum, I didn't even need my semblance to know how bored she was. I was down there for like, a half hour just devouring that honey cave too."

"Wow your vocabulary is… Wow." Pale stammered, a little breathless, which was so out of character for her, she was the domme, but she was so out of her element, lesbianism was, well it was something she hadn't found all that interesting. She preferred the male form, especially Jaune's so she'd never really given it too much thought.

Now it was all she was going to be thinking about for days.

"I uh… Well.." Pale put a finger to her plush lips, pursing them against the pallid digit. How to say that she thinks maybe if they're looking for other things they should see other people? But.. without just saying they should break up. "I think maybe you're looking for different things, which isn't a bad thing, it just means you're different people, it doesn't mean you can't be good friends."

"Oh well of course we're looking for different things, honestly, it just so disheartening you feel? Talking about finding someone to play with." Amber grumbled and poked more at her food with the silvered prong of her fork.

"Wait, Play with?" Pale raised an eyebrow, "You mean invite people to join you?"

That was, wow that was way more intimate than Pale thought a casually lunchroom conversation with Amber would ever get. They were starting an open relationship? So soon? It has only been a week, maybe a little bit longer.

"Yeah! She wants to find someone more aggressive and share them." She shrugged. "We talked about inviting you, but Harpy doesn't want to make things weird."

Add… yo-ou, Pale blinked. That… Why was she excited by that idea? She of course would deny if pressed, she was with Jaune and wouldn't betray him, still she could entertain the idea of sleeping with two beautiful women. It would be fun to experiment, just to say she did it, she wasn't a lesbian or anything, but, just curious.

She tried to laugh it off, waving her hand at the wolf girl across from her. "You're pulling my leg, I'm hardly your type, if you're into Harpy I'm probably the farthest you could get."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short, you're hot as fuck." Pale knew that of course, but it was still flattering. Maybe Amber's real semblance was charm, being able to make anyone all hot and bothered, anyone fall for her. "But I'm not asking, don't worry I know you'd have to say no."

Have to.

Very specific wording, implying that Pale would say yes…

If Jaune wasn't around.

Pale… felt odd about that, a very… specific odd that felt cold. Was.. No Amber could be… Pale didn't show any odd feelings on her face, staying a shy sort of bashful smile.

"I'm sure you and Harpy will find someone, you're both absurdly attractive, I can't imagine it will be too hard." Pale tried to choose her words carefully, picking them like she would talking with one of her father's business associates. She couldn't be rude but had to shut down the conversation before it got out of hand.

"It's always so hard to find someone trustworthy, anyone single might try and weasel their way between us, while someone taken would have to have their partner be okay with it." She let out an exasperated sigh, like she was complaining about having to walk outside in the rain to get her umbrella.

Pale… felt… strange. Why was the wording… weird?

"It would just be easier to have a couple join in." Amber finally finished.

Pales first immediate thought was, 'I could talk to Jaune about it.' But Paused, her entire body feeling an odd sense to it. Her brow furrowed and confusion tiltered on the edge of her mind. Amber hadn't suggested her, or Jaune, she hadn't even implied it, but led the conversation here anyway.

Her lips formed a thin little line, why did she feel like she was being played. "I'm sure you'll find someone." Her tone was a little more serious than was intended. She tried to quickly stammer through making it more friendly. "I could maybe ask some of my friends, see if they want to go on a drinking date with you two, keep the real intention very, hush, hush?"

Amber just snort laughed, her entire demeanour changing to be that same bubbly dumb wolfgirl she always presented herself to be. "Oh! I can be really sneaky, no one will learn about your secret plan, I'm great with secrets, like when Harpy told me she men's shampoo because she likes the names, her favorite is 'mega-death flamethrower.' " She blinked and put her face into her hands clearly upset that she just spilled that secret. "You can't tell her I said that! Oh no, fuuuuuu…."

She trailed off into whining.

Pale could help but laugh, bringing a hand up to cover her face. Maybe she was putting too much of herself into Amber's words. She was pure, wonderful, playful, innocent. No way she was conniving or leading, that was her and Harpy's wheelhouse.

"You know, I have to admit something myself." Pale started. "I haven't been avoiding you, I haven't… well, I know you can tell, I've just been feeling weird around you and Harpy. I uhh… I've never been attracted to women but you two are… well, it's different. Kind of like how I feel about Jaune, but different."

"Neither you or Jaune are very good at hiding when you're looking at my butt." Amber informed her, a sly smile on her face. "Trust me if I minded the looks, I'd mention it."

"Well, I'm just saying." Wait she knew? Pale felt mortified, is this what guys go through courting women? It was awful! "I'm just saying-" She continued "I've been… well feeling things and I was thinking about talking to Jaune about that."

This was a trap, one she was placing with direct open jaws. She was making herself vulnerable, giving Amber the in to take advantage of that vulnerability. She was pretty sure that the wolfgirl didn't have a malicious bone in her body, but it didn't hurt to check. If Amber took the bait, tried to put herself between Jaune even just a little it was a clear sign her wording was intentional.

"I think that's a great idea!" Pale blinked, she hadn't been expecting the exact opposite of the trap to be sprung. "If you're feeling something, you should tell your partner about it, Jaune is really great, I'm sure he'll understand."

Amber was beaming, the brightest, widest smile Pale had ever seen. And like that, every single doubt Pale had was dashed, she felt silly for even letting the idea Amber might have ulterior motives.

"He is pretty great." Pale sighed, a happy contented sigh. "You're pretty great too, you know that Amber?"

There was a twinge, like an idea she had suddenly came back to mind as Amber bashfully waved the compliment away. "Hey, you know, I've been thinking about surprising Jaune with a gift. Maybe…. Maybe we can kill two birds with one stone?"

Now her words came with a pur, that domme nature starting to rise up back to the surface. "I help you and Harpy out, and you help me with Jaune? I know… well I know you still like him, and well, let's say I'm a little curious about you and Harpy."

Amber raised a curious, mischievous eyebrow, a sly smirk over her lips. "Paaaaale~ You are so dirty, I love it! Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I might be~"

"That is such a good idea!" Amber beamed, again drawing more eyes before she hissed at them. "I'm loud, get over it!"

What a wonderful idea! Getting her own pent up urges out and giving Jaune the gift of a lifetime, men would kill to lose their virginity in a foursome, what a wonderful gift for her wonderful boyfriend! She was giddy about the idea to bring it up to him. Kicking her legs and shivering upwards, doubling her digging into her food, more than ready to get into the fun surprise.

Of course Harpy would have to agree too, but after Pal;e brought out some rope and a paddle, she'd agree enough, besides she would have to do more than tolerate Jaune, and if she wanted to join in, Pale could make it worth her while~.

They'd convince her.

Amber just looked on at Pale eating, leveling her gaze and feeling her teeth on her nails, that smile on her face getting a little more sinister, a certain pleasure that was evident on her features, something that went completely unnoticed by the more busty woman across from her.

___________________________________________________________

Jaune and harpy sat down with a little more than ten feet between them. The silence between them dragged on with the creaking of the building around them. The drawn out realization of Jaune revealing he knows her secret finally sinking in.

He explains how he figured it out, saying that he got the files and figured it out, calling up the orphanage she ran away from and though they laughed off him calling her Harpy, a picture of her confirmed she was the girl that got rejected.

The real nail in the coffin came when Jaune admitted to asking Winter and Clover both about what the punishment is for faking transcripts. He was sure they thought he was asking because he had done it at beacon but when he pressed, pretending to ask out of curiosity they informed him that he was brought in on special request by Ironwood himself, which was odd in and of itself, but if say for instance, somehow he had faked his transcripts here instead of at Beacon, he would be stripped of rank and given a dishonourable discharge, effectively making him an exile of Atlas, he'd have to leave and live in mantle or leave the kingdom altogether, it would be illegal for him to work as a hunter in the kingdom.

When he told Harpy this she didn't respond, didn't say a word, but she nodded in affirmation with everything he said.

And then there was silence.

Long moments-

Minutes-

That felt like endlessly timeless hours.

"So this is your big revenge then, huh?" She finally breathed. "Got to admit it's poetic, you get to take revenge on me, like I'm some surrogate. Shit, that's honestly enviable."

Jaune tilted his head. "I'm not getting you kicked out, Harpy."

"Eh, Blackmail, gotta respect that too. Didn't think you'd have the balls to twist my arm like that. You've got guts." It was unnerving how nice she was being, well, calm really. Not insulting.

Yeah not insulting was really a better way of putting it.

"I- Harpy, stop." Jaune pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly exhausted with the emotional rollercoaster. "I'm not blackmailing you either. I was going to get you kicked out, I really was, but I burned the first transcript, it's gone."

There was more silence, but now the uncomfortable part of it was Harpy staring at him in wide eyed shock, like she was an owl staring at him from a window. "What?"

"I-" He let out a breath, collecting himself. "You- what you said, it was right. I don't belong here, I don't know why everything is going my way, why people are treating me like this, when I've done nothing to deserve it. You are twice as good as me at this, Pale would be a better captain and I'm sure there are other students even better than her if given the chance." He rolled his neck, resting it against the wall behind him, eyes lidded looking towards the closed door to the gym. "Ironwood didn't even know me when he invited me to come here, and after meeting me once he made me captain. Amber saved my life and I still haven't paid her back for that but she loves me. Pale is so out of my league it's unreal and seems completely devoted even though I don't deserve her at all and didn't even do anything special to win her over."

He let out a sigh, waiting for Harpy to make some sharp comment but none came, so he continued. "I'm just… Trying so hard, trying to be the person they think I am. I'm terrified, constantly I'll never be good enough, but when they look at me they see this person, a leader, a hero, someone to take charge, someone special or amazing and I'm just not that person. I'm just some kid from nowhere who can barely get by, I'm struggling to keep up and constantly failing that image they have of me and I'm terrified that one day they'll realize I'm not that person they think I am."

His head lazily rolled over to her, eyebrows arched upwards, worry spread plainly over his face. "I'm still that idiot that bought obviously faked transcripts, ruining my life for some dream I was hopelessly under prepared for. I'm not even remotely capable of being a hunter and now I have to lead an entire team of them?"

"You see that. You're right." There was some finality to that, honestly he could have ended there and it would have been complete, but of course, it wasn't. "But I'm not going to sit around and just let them down. Ironwood, Pale, Amber, Winter, Clover, Watts, T-they've given me this chance, they have expectations, they see someone I can be and I refuse to let them down."

"I wont" This time he made eye contact with her, surprising them both with the raw seriousness that crept up through his voice. "I am going to be the person they see, I can't let down the people who believe in me."

Harpy stared at him, mouth slightly open, eyes wide. And Jaune realized he'd given the most anime speech he'd ever said in his entire life and he probably ruined any respect this woman had for him, if he'd garnered any at all.

"So… Yeah.. I got rid of your transcripts. Because… Because in a lot of ways, you're me. You want to be a hero, Amber wants to see a you that's different than who you are, better. And I want to see it too. I want to believe we can be better than we are. And like, if I don't give you a chance, than.. Well how can I expect anyone to give me one?" He let out a sigh, realizing how dorkish this all sounds. "Because you're like me."

"First off, gross, I don't like being compared to you." Harpy sneered, her face mimicking a puking motion. Jaune just rolled his eyes but there was a certain fondness to her words she wasn't making fun of him this time, even if she was making fun of him. "Gods you're so lame. 'I'm trying my hardest wah wah wah.'"

But she leaned back, resting her head like he was against the back wall of the gym. "You're a lot like Amber like that, lame but not in a bad way." She let out a sigh, letting a little of her guard down, maybe trying to test him, see if he'd take advantage of it. "I like Amber because I always know what she's thinking, if she's happy or sad, people lie, they're manipulative, crude, guys look at me and only want my strength or my ass."

Jaune didn't comment that he was more of a boobs guy in all honesty.

"Sometime I get carried away with… well… making you realize how lame you are. I probably said some real hurtful shit, so, sorry I guess, sounds like a personal problem really, but like, still sorry."

That was surprisingly the nicest she'd ever been to him, was this progress? He couldn't help but stare at her in mild confusion, like he wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, like he couldn't understand what a compliment from her sounded like.

"Thank… you?"

"You don't need to act so surprised. I'm a chill bitch every now and then." She tilted her head away from him. "I… I don't want to hate you. I guess I just… People suck."

"Yeah, they really do." Jaune agreed, but he held onto the word. "It was Amber, and Pale, that made me think maybe they were worth giving a shit about, maybe just a little bit."

"Yeah Amber is terrible like that, making me try to be nice, talk to people, leave my room." She scoffed, waving her hand in his direction. "And who says 'dope' anyway?"

"Or radical?" He agreed, both of them smiling at that. They shared a small laugh over the ridiculous way Amber spoke, for a brief moment both of them were friends, there was no bad blood, no preconceived notions.

"Maybe we try and be friends, you don't have to trust me or anything, but we at least pretend to be friendly while she's around?" He offered, she didn't have to give up her pride for this one.

She mulled it over, closing her eyes and making a face, making a big show of really debating it in her head. "Well on one hand, I'll have to be nice to you and that sucks." She paused, opening one eye to see his annoyed and leveled gaze, taking great joy in that. "But food Amber, I suppose I can do that."

Jaune reached out with his hand trying to get her to shake on it. She looked at it, then at him with a face that said 'Really?' but she took his hand, her palms soft but worn in all the places using weapons would callos them.

"Wanna blow this pop-stand and head back to our rooms?"

"We still have a class, Harpy."

"You and I both know everyone already left for the day, we've been here talking for like twenty minutes." she indicated to the room around them. Classes are over, so come on, I wanna show you something.

"Is it a collection of knives you're going to kill me with?" Jaune followed her to his feet and towards the door.

"Nah, I only show my knives to close friends, and if I was gunna kill you, I'd just push you off the city, it'd look more like an accident that way." To which Jaune gave a little laugh, but when she didn't follow that up with a smile over her shoulder or really any indication she was joking, he paused.

"Y-you're joking, right, Harpy?" She just kept walking. "Harpy??!"

__________________________________________

Luckily she didn't push him off the city, instead she found himself sitting on the edge of her bed, in her room that she'd never even let him look inside before. Jaune looked at the plethora of posters lining the small space, bands and movies, all dark black and red, then behind those K-pop girl bands and what looked like homeless people with guitars, though he did recognise at least one or two names.

It was like being transported into a story book where all the movies and bands had to be cheap knock offs, Queenz with a Z, backreapboys; all wearing grim reaper masks, Kings of the Bronze age, which album art had more style than any band had a right to. Mega-ultra-deth, Beyond sleep, Gravereminders, Unforgivables. Then just straight up linkin park, they're canon now.

Harpy herself was looking through what looked like a soapbox of flat wooden posters, looking them over, flipping them around before putting them back. He couldn't quite see until she stood up and he realized she was looking through Records. Like music records, ancient ass music records.

"Okay this one isn't their best work but you it's a classic and you can't really understand the story of their 5th album without listening to it first. Plus it's a banger." Taking the black disc out of it's tray and laying with great care on the player and putting the needle into place.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Coheed, it's just this super long story, each song is like a chapter." Which didn't answer the question he was still asking.

"No like, I- okay I listen to the radio sometimes, this is what you wanted to show me? I- I really don't know a whole lot about music." He confessed and little embarrassment clinging to her face.

"What? But Amber said you liked music." Which wasn't true, Amber said 'he knows more about music than me' which, although true, was not a particularly high bar. "Okay Coheed might have too much lead up, alright let's start with… Hmmm.."

She went back to the collection, pulling out two or three and setting them down onto other players and turning knobs that Jaune assumed did nothing but looked fancy. "Alright, wait, you have to listen to this, I can't believe you've only ever listened to the garbage on the radio." Jaune felt a little offended, he liked the music on the radio. "Okay, just, like, just sit back and close your eyes. Just listen to it."

It started at first with a little bit of static, Harpy sitting on the floor, her shoulder at his knee, already nodding to the slow baseline as it came in. Jaune didn't quite get it but the song was good but nothing special he supposed. It was slow, drawling on, a methodical pace that was added to in the haunting style of lyrics that coiled around each note. There was an echo t o the lyrics that felt off from the notes being sung, it added an eerie taste to the flavour but added to it in a way. Giving the lyrics which could almost be mistaken for something wholesome a more sinister note.

"I just love his voice." Harpy broke the illusion. "So worn down, it's wonderful."

"Like.. It's got a texture to it." Jaune agreed, trying to hone in on the voice itself, it felt like a wheel that'd worn down it's tred, rolling over a gravel road. "The song, like, okay it sounds like that feeling you get when you're biking down a forest trail at sunset, if that makes any sense, it's peaceful, but dark?"

Harpy just looked up at him, a weird look on her face like she was trying to decide if he was making fun of her or not. Her eyebrow raise shifting from one side to the other. Making a face like she was happy with that response she relaxed more on the bed, nodding her head to the music, simply just enjoying it.

It was simple, a moment where they could just exist together, there wasn't any expectations, Jaune adjusted so that he was laying down lengthwise across her bed, closing his eyes to follow the picture of that dark forest the song took him to.

She started to hum along to it, clearly she knew every word and wanted to just belt them out but she wasn't completely oblivious to the other person in the room.

Jaune had never heard her sound.. Soft, didn't realize she could.

It was a sound he liked, focusing more on the tune of her voice than the music itself, the forest didn't seem so dark anymore. The song winded down to the end, watching Harpy shake her hips even if just a little to the tune. Hard that she was still sitting down, but Jaune couldn't help thinking it was a little cute.

She moved like it was force of habit, a little enjoyment she could only afford when no one was looking, maybe she forgot Jaune was here? Either way he liked the way she bopped from side to side along with the music.

The song wound down to the end and Harpy looked over her shoulder at his lounging frame, her eyes roaming over him pretty evidently. Did she have the same thought, thinking how easy this was? Wondering why it was they didn't like each other in the first place when it was so simple to just exist next to each other. Or was there something else behind her eyes, something moving in her brain that he couldn't place his finger on.

The next song came on and Harpy reached back with her elbow. "Okay c'mon this one too, what's it look like?"

"Are you making fun of me?"

"If I was making fun of you. You'd know it, now do the word picture monkey." She scaved.

The song had a more upbeat tone to it but there was a melancholy to it, something like a sour tinge to a sweet berry. "It felt like sitting in a dark room with the sunlight barely peeking through the curtains, looking at the dust slowly drifting in a timeless way. It's quiet, lonely but not sad. More content than anything."

"Dude that's wild." She spoke a little mystified. "This song was written because the artist's brother passed away after struggling with sickness for a really long time, it sounds kind of happy with bubbly lyrics because he's trying to put on a brave face for this family but instead he's just empty, he even talks about hating that he can't even feel sad. That he hopes his brother is someplace nice because seeing him suffer hurt so much."

Now harpy was just shaking her head. "That's crazy, you just like, see songs then, huh?"

She wasn't even making fun of him, more like she was genuinely interested in this side she'd never expected from him. "I don- Yeah I guess." He shrugged. "This artist is really good, where'd you find them?"

"Okay so stay with me, they used to be the bass for this other ban Halicon, but when they broke up he ended up touring with their opener for their farewell concert, Dragonmytel, which was this all faunus nu-age metal group, they fucking rocked and they invited him in at the token human and made a big thing about him being a diversity hire as joke. When their lead singer retired they added in two more members and formed a new band but that flopped and like they had one good album but only because they had this really crazy guitarist join them for a few tracks." Harpy was somewhere else now, explaining all of this in a wild flurry of connecting red dots. "And I really liked that guitarist so I checked out the album and loved it, but then I heard the rest of their stuff and it was awful, but like all the members were in really cool shit before this. But anyway, this guy moved from bass to lead singer starting his own group with the drummer and this guitarist and now they just make music without a label and sell it themselves, It's like impossible to see them in concert."

Jaune couldn't help but smile along with her, it wasn't what she was saying, he couldn't follow that for the life of him. It all had no context or substance and felt like she was talking about a show he'd never seen with characters he had no mental image for. But, it was the way she said it, so caught up in this world she cared so deeply for, it was the passion that she told him this story that pulled him in, hell by the end of it he was excited for her, mad they hadn't gone to a concert already, envious of anyone who saw the first band back when he was just a bass for this big name group.

[ Continued in Next Chapter ]