Chapter-16

If there was one word Jaune could use to describe General Ironwood's office, it would be cold.

The large circular room had little in the way of ornamentation. There were no portraits or shelves, no photographs, no greenery in an attempt at livening up the room. In fact, there was little else but the symbol of Atlas upon the floor within a ring of light. The walls were lifeless, concrete and steel, the lighting a frosty blue that cast a strange, unsettling hue. The only furniture was his desk and chair, the pair simple and not at all decorative; efficient, perhaps comfortable, and not much else. His desk was elevated upon a dais, situating him above all who met with him. This was by design, placing the General in a position of power that his very title proclaimed. At his back was the kingdom itself, the wall and ceiling a half-dome of clear glass overlooking Atlas, the endless expanse of sky above the floating city and the grounds of the academy in which they were housed.

The message it conveyed was impressive and the implication clear. This is mine; mine to protect, mine to rule. General Ironwood was the highest ranking officer in the Atlas Military, the headmaster of its focal Huntsman academy and held two seats on the ruling council. If Atlas could truly ever belong to one man, he would be the front runner.

Despite the impressive view, the type of view that could render an artist speechless with awe and inspiration, it did little to change Jaune's opinion of the room. There was nothing of the man here to be found. No hint of his dreams, of his passions – or perhaps that was wrong. Maybe Atlas was his passion and there was no room for anything else. He was a General, a Headmaster, and a Councilman first; everything else was secondary. Even his own self.

Each step he took echoed off the floor as he approached, his boots heavy upon the hard floor. There were no chairs so Jaune was forced to stand as he came to stop just before the stairs leading up the dais to the General's desk, looking up at the man who currently carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders.

"General," he greeted respectfully.

"Jaune," the man greeted. While his office may have been cold, his voice and eyes were warm as he looked up from his papers. His smile was genuine, his beard doing little to hide it. "Welcome. Specialist Schnee mentioned that you wished to see me."

The lines on the General's face looked deeper, the bags under his eyes a little more pronounced, the pepper dusting his hair a tinge thicker. Things had been rough before their arrival but the upcoming election and situation with Amity was putting a visible strain upon Ironwood. He looked tired, stressed. But when he stood, his frame still radiated power, strength and resolve.

He hadn't given up.

"That's right," Jaune replied as Ironwood moved around his desk and joined him on more level footing, descending from his place of power. "I have some information that may prove important. I would have come sooner but things have been hectic."

Mantle was still a livewire but for the time being, the populace had calmed from their initial outburst. Discontent still ran deep, however; discontent that flared every so often in the form of vandalism, or in the form of fighting. Jaune had broken up more than a few people getting into fisticuffs, some of which had happened in front of the children he escorted. Grimm were also more active in attempting to breach the wall, attracted by all the negative sentiment, though thankfully not in the numbers they had witnessed and diverted to the north.

It kept them all very busy.

Ironwood gave him an appraising look. "Information, you say?"

"Yes, sir – I remember what happened to me, down in the mine shaft," he said before amending. "Well, I remember more . Not everything, sir. But enough."

"That is good news," Ironwood paused. "Though from your tone, I sense a great deal of concern. Tell me everything."

So he did. Every detail he remembered, every insignificant thought, he shared. How he got separated from his teammates, how he followed the path further into the depths of the mine. How he had been ambushed by Grimm, forced to fight for his life before dropping his sword and awaiting death.

"They stopped and watched me," Jaune revealed. "I thought for sure that it was over and yet... they just watched, waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

The first signs of alarm appeared on the General's face when he described the humanoid Grimm. It wasn't a completely unique characteristic as other Grimm had taken similar forms before – the Apathy, for example, or even the rider half of the Nuckelavee – but none had so closely resembled a human being like she had. Jaune was as precise as possible, describing her to the best of his abilities. That alarm turned to horror when he revealed that it could speak.

"This is..." the man trailed off, interrupting his story. "Jaune – in all my years, I have never heard of a Grimm being able to speak before. Only Salem."

"She called Salem her mother," Jaune said grimly.

Ironwood frowned. "You are positive?"

He simply nodded.

The General took a moment to compose himself, his eyes closing momentarily before opening. They were filled with determination.

"A Grimm such as this is a threat, no matter where it is," he declared. "That it is so close to Atlas is unacceptable. With how volatile things are right now, we cannot leave such a worrisome variable unchecked. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. You have done the Kingdom of Atlas a great service by coming forward."

He was being dismissed. Jaune nodded, turning to leave but hesitated.

"Why do you think she let me go?" he asked.

That was the question, wasn't it? Why let him go? Why not kill him?

" That ," Ironwood emphasized seriously, "is something that I have no answer for."

He may have no answer for him but Jaune heard the worry in his tone. He had every right to worry. What did a Grimm have to gain by letting prey go? Capable of speech, it had shown a level of intelligence approaching the level to that of people; human and faunus. That meant it operated not on instinct like an animal, or the mindless malice that the rest of its kind did, but with thought.

Their problems just seemed to keep piling up. Amity, Mantle, Robyn Hill, Jacques Schnee – it felt never ending, and that wasn't even adding the biggest thing to the list. Salem had been quiet since Haven, since Raven Branwen had killed Cinder Fall and they had sent the rest of her followers packing. But she was still out there, waiting, biding her time. She was eternal; incapable of death, according to the Relic of Knowledge. Her minions were powerful. Tyrian and Hazel, both terrifying combatants – though thankfully, her hold over the White Fang seemed broken now, their failed attack on Haven and the death of Adam Taurus having wrested the organization from her influence. A small mercy but one Jaune was glad of.

And now this creature, this womanly Grimm that had both scared him and...

He honestly didn't want to think about it any longer. He had done his duty and had alerted Ironwood. The General would handle it from here. His job was done.

Feeling restless, Jaune decided to work out. Maybe pumping some iron would help clear his head. And maybe he could message Neon or Yang, ask if they wanted to help spot him. Pulling out his scroll, he rolled through his contacts. Though long before he could set anything in stone, he was intercepted.

"Jaune!"

Jaune looked up.

Penny skipped down the hall towards him, a massive smile stretching her lips. Trailing behind her were Ruby and Oscar, the pair in deep discussion. Jaune waved, a smile tugging at his own lips as the android girl came to a teetering stop in front of him. She bounced on the balls of her feet, rocking to and fro as her eyes crinkled happily. If any one person fit the definition of having smiling eyes, it was her.

"Hey Penny," Jaune greeted warmly. "How's things?"

"Things are great!" she replied in her typical over-the-top fashion. She wasn't quite as bad as she used to be back when she visited Beacon, but her attitude was still just as infectious. She leaned in close, almost bringing her face into contact with his own. "Do you notice anything different about me today?"

Jaune blinked rapidly at her sudden rush, almost stepping back. Registering her words, he glanced at her hair first since growing up with so many sisters had taught him that was the safest place to start. The amount of boyfriends that didn't notice when one of his sisters styled their hair differently was countless, much to their frustrations growing up. There wasn't a single strand out of place, her wonderful ginger tresses tumbling down her back in gentle waves, curled at the ends, capped off with her large black bow. Not a haircut, then. Next he checked her clothes but as far as he could see, she was wearing the same cute green and black dress she always wore these days, synced tight around the waist with her typical white long sleeve blouse underneath. Observing the flared frilly cuffs, they appeared to be quite normal as well.

He couldn't see anything.

She continued to beam at him, awaiting his answer. With how close she was standing to him, he could vividly count the amount of freckles dusted across her cute nose and cheeks if he so wished. She also smelled really nice; it was a familiar scent, one that tickled a long lost memory but for the life of him, he couldn't pinpoint it. It contained hints of lavender and vanilla with something deeper, woody almost. Wait a minute...

"You're wearing perfume," Jaune guessed. In all the time he had spent with her since coming to Atlas, he had never noticed any kind of perfume or deodorant before.

If possible, Penny's smile became even wider. "Ab—so—lutely correct!"

Jaune laughed as she moved away, the scent lingering.

"Hey Jaune," Oscar greeted, having finally caught up. Ruby mumbled a hello and steadfastly refused to look his way.

"Oscar, Ruby," he said, trying not to frown.

He wasn't sure what he had done but Ruby had been acting very strange for a couple of days now. She wasn't avoiding him, per se, nor was she exactly distant. But Jaune couldn't help but feel like the younger girl was doing everything in her power to not look at him and if she was forced to, then not for any length of time. Had he offended her in some way? If he had, Jaune didn't know how.

It bothered him that his presence seemed to make her uncomfortable. She was his best friend and comrade, a fellow leader. He would apologize – if he knew what he had to apologize for. He really wanted to fix whatever this was but he just didn't know how to approach it without potentially making it worse.

"Where are you guys heading?"

"We were just training," Oscar revealed, looking a little depressed. "At least, Ruby and Penny were. I've been trying to figure out my semblance but... well, no such luck."

Jaune knew all about that struggle, better than anyone else in their friend group. Everyone else had had their semblances long before attending Beacon. Jaune had been the sole exception. Hell, he hadn't even had his aura unlocked. Sometimes he wondered what the hell had he been thinking, lying his way into a huntsman academy with no training or knowledge of basic concepts. He had been so desperate to follow his dream that he had seriously almost gotten killed because of it.

Yet he didn't regret it, not one bit.

Not having his semblance had eaten at him for the longest time. It felt like he couldn't contribute completely because he didn't have that fundamental skill that all of his friends had. A skill so powerful that it could turn the tide of a fight in your favor. While you should never overly rely on it, having such a trump card in your back pocket was always an advantage.

He was glad that he now had his semblance unlocked, happy that it was something that could directly help his friends by boosting their aura, boosting their own semblances. It made them all stronger, not just himself. He just wished that it hadn't taken Weiss almost dying for it to manifest.

"I want to say you should just take your time but – well," Jaune rubbed his neck with a grin. "That would make me sound like a bit of a hypocrite. I know how frustrating it can be, Oscar. How it can make you feel like a burden, that you aren't giving your all without it. I know that's how I felt for a long time. That I was dragging everyone down, holding them back because I didn't have my semblance--"

"You weren't a burden," Ruby interrupted sternly, silver eyes fixed on him. "You were never a burden, don't ever think that. You never held us back. You came with me when everyone else couldn't or wouldn't. Don't speak about yourself that way."

Jaune was so startled by her sudden outburst, by the fact that was actually looking at him square in the eye that his mouth snapped shut with a click. Oscar glanced between the pair of them, nervous, while Penny peered at them curiously.

The silence that settled between them was most definitely awkward.

"Right," Jaune finally said, clearing his throat. "So – yeah, um – so, as I was saying, you may feel that way but you totally shouldn't, it'll come in time. You just need to keep working on it."

He had completely lost his train of thought. He was sure he had some super inspirational wisdom to share with the younger boy but now it was lost to him. Ruby was still staring at him. Not quite angrily but she was cross with him, he could tell.

"Well said," Penny chirped, slapping him on the back. The girl didn't know her own strength, Jaune grimacing as his aura flared in protection. "Do not fret, Oscar. We will keep working on it together. There is no better place in the world to do so. Atlas is on the forefront of aura and semblance study, after all!"

It may have been a bit messy but their words seemed to have cheered the young boy somewhat.

"I'll do my best."

When he excused himself, he was surprised that Ruby decided to tag along. Oscar looked like he wanted to also join them but Penny had grabbed his sleeve and tugged him down the hall before he could so much as open his mouth. Jaune watched in amusement as he flailed, stumbling along behind her.

Ruby was still looking at him.

Now that she was, she didn't seem to want to stop. Jaune glanced her way before looking away, a little embarrassed at the intensity in her eyes.

"Shall we?" he asked, gesturing down the hall.

Her silence was unsettling.

"So, Penny is wearing perfume now?" he asked in an attempt at small talk. "First boys, now perfume – does she have her eye on someone?"

He wasn't sure how that would work, exactly. Could Penny fall in love? She wasn't a typical robot, after all. She had aura. She felt . A regular, run of the mill droid didn't have friends, didn't feel affection for people, yet Penny had those things and more. So surely love wasn't that far fetched, was it? Though thinking about it now, how would a more physical relationship work? Did she have compatible parts?

Jaune grimaced. Why was he even thinking about that?

"She just wants to feel more like a real girl, I think," Ruby finally answered. "Though maybe there is a boy she likes. We didn't ask, we thought it would be unfair if she wanted to keep it a secret – you know, what with how she hiccups whenever she tries to tell a lie and all. Did you notice anything familiar about her perfume?"

"You know, I did but I couldn't quite place it."

"It belongs to Weiss," Ruby revealed. Jaune made a sound of recognition. "It was an old bottle she had at Beacon, she gifted it to Penny when she expressed an interest in it. She would have purchased her a new one but for some reason, Penny wanted that one in particular."

This whole time, Ruby still hadn't taken her eyes off him. Thankfully the hall was clear or the girl would likely walk straight into anyone that happened to cross their path. The gym wasn't far from the Headmasters office and when they entered, it was completely empty. Usually some of the older students would be around but not today.

Even the woman that usually managed the desk was absent, though there were a stack of clean, freshly laundered towels available. Plucking one off the top, Jaune approached a bench and began loading plates onto the bar.

"Are you dating Blake?"

He almost dropped a plate on his foot at the sudden question, managing to regain his grip in time and averting disaster. Placing it on the bar and pushing it into place with a loud clank, he turned to her incredulously.

"What?"

"You heard me," she said bluntly. "Are you dating Blake?"

Jaune stared at her.

Ruby was a girl who wore her emotions on her sleeve, so to speak. She had a very emotive face. Right now, though, she was a blank slate. He had never seen her this way before. It was something he would expect from Weiss or Blake, not Ruby.

"Uh, no?"

Ruby hummed. "You don't sound sure."

"We aren't dating," he said. That was the truth. He wasn't sure what they were. He hadn't been alone with her since that night. Since he had fucked her senseless until his cock finally softened, balls utterly spent. Like with Yang, what they had hadn't been defined yet. "I'm just a little confused. Why are you asking me this?"

"No reason."

Jaune scoffed. "I somehow doubt that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Do I really need to point out the obvious?"

Silver eyes narrowed briefly before she sighed, looking away. He was glad – emotionless Ruby was weird. "I heard you two."

Jaune tilted his head slightly. "What?"

Her cheeks slowly filled with color, matching the red highlights in her hair. "The other night, down in Mantle – you forgot to hang up. I heard you."

Jaune opened his mouth but nothing came out. There was no way. He thought furiously but couldn't be sure. What he did know was that Blake had sucked his cock while he spoke to Ruby, then he had taken Blake to a motel to have sex. Had she really heard everything ?

Slender fingers fiddled together, Ruby hunching over slightly in embarrassment as she mumbled, "She did things with you, right? You guys did... lewd things?"

Jaune's mouth was bone dry.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. "You guys had sex, right?"

He didn't know what to say.

Ruby's lips were pursed, her nose crinkled as she looked everywhere but at him. This was what she had been holding onto, why she couldn't interact with him like normal. Mortified didn't cover it – he was downright horrified. He felt sick.

"Um," he tried, reaching for her shoulder. Ruby jumped beneath his palm, jerking away. "Ruby – I didn't, er – well, we were just..."

What did he even say ?

"I didn't know it sounded like that," Ruby said with a hint of curiosity, derailing his brain.

Jaune blanched. "Ruby!"

Her laugh held a tinge of hysteria to it. "W-Well I didn't! I didn't mean to keep listening but I was curious, okay?! I was just so shocked that I couldn't hang up – we were on a mission! You weren't meant to be doing stuff like that! – and then next thing I know, Blake is – is – is howling and I didn't know what to do! Yang kept looking at me strangely so I had to change the audio to my ear piece, I kept listening and it made me horny and frustrated," she paused, eyes widening in horror. "Forget I said anything! Forget it! Right now!"

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't unhear her words. And he didn't want to. Not at all.

"Ruby--"

"Zip it!" she snapped, running her pinched fingers across her lips sharply. "Shh! Shut it! I didn't say that!"

He couldn't help it. He imagined his best friend hunched over her scroll, squirming as her fingers stroked down her tight belly and beneath the waist of her combat skirt. He could hear her high voice squeaking as she dipped into her panties to stroke her pussy, listening to him rail her teammate. Little Ruby Rose messing her panties while she got off on him fucking Blake like an animal.

Though she wasn't so little anymore.

His cock twitched and swelled, hunger rising within like an old friend. It certainly was a common companion these days.

"Ruby," he tried again but it was too late.

All he could see were rose petals.