Chapter-30

The influx of new people in Atlas meant there was lots of work to be done. Ordinarily, the stuffy upper crust of the Atlesian elite would have chafed against the flood of refugees arriving in their city but the revelation about Salem had destroyed any semblance of normalcy. While there wasn't panic in the streets, there was a certain weight in the air that hadn't been present before; a tension that writhed beneath the surface. The idea that the Grimm had a queen, an intelligent being who had brought both Vale and Mistral low was a frightening one.

Ironwood had feared that such knowledge would break the people.

And while it had certainly impacted them negatively, a new stressor upon a pile of endless others – it had also done the unthinkable.

It had brought the people of Atlas and Mantle together. It was often said that a common enemy could bring even those on opposite sides together. Even during the Great War, the warring kingdoms had set aside their differences to combat the encroaching Grimm. Now that the people living in the sky realized that not even their floating city could keep them safe, it had broken down the metaphorical wall between them and the rest of their countrymen.

They were united at last.

Jaune watched as families were divided and escorted to their temporary homes, properties owned by the rich and powerful. They were being turned into emergency housing, great big manors and holiday homes, opening their doors to those less fortunate – human and faunus alike.

He spotted Aurelia with a woman who couldn't have been anyone else other than her mother. They looked almost identical, though her mother had a fuller figure. When she saw him, she waved – one he returned.

"You know," Yang spoke up from his side. "I always thought Atlas was full of uptight jerks and when we first arrived, my opinion didn't really change. And yet..."

He glanced her way.

"They're just people," she finally said. "There are bad ones like... like Weiss' father but there are also good ones. They might be stuffy and pretentious and think too highly of their wealth, but they are willing to lend their help when someone needs a hand. I didn't expect that."

Jaune couldn't blame her for that opinion. Even Weiss looked shocked at this turn of events, even though she was no doubt happy about it. These are the people she had grown up around, the people she had developed a healthy resentment for. Weiss better than anyone knew of their greed and ignorance, of their avarice. But Yang was right – they were just people, in the end. People were rarely just good or bad, there was plenty of room between.

"I'm just happy things are getting sorted," he said.

Ruby and Oscar were helping to organize things nearby, handing out forms for the displaced people to fill out. Jaune had noticed that she was walking with slight discomfort and he felt a twinge of guilt. He hadn't meant to be so rough with her. He had fucked her like she was Neon, a girl with plenty of experience but he hadn't been able to control his lust. Something about Ruby had set his blood aflame and sampling her flesh had only fed it to greater heights.

She had assured him that she had liked it, that he hadn't hurt her. Seeing her move around with a slight limp in her step made him wonder if she had lied to him. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one to notice her strange gait. Yang was watching her sister with a curious expression on her face.

"I think Ruby may have been hurt last night," Yang shared with a troubled tone. "She says she feels fine; great, even. But things were pretty hectic down there. Did she say anything to you?"

Jaune shook his head, feeling horrible.

Yang sighed. "Maybe I'm just being a worrywart. It's hard not to mother her sometimes, even though she has grown up so much over the past couple of years."

She had grown into an incredible young woman, Jaune agreed. In more ways than one.

A familiar ponytail drew his attention, his eyes settling on its owner. Cerise stood with her daughters, looking unsure in a group of refugees. Jaune was moving before he knew it, striding across the street.

"Jaune?" Yang called but he ignored her. The sound of her boots against the asphalt let him know she was right behind him.

"Cerise!"

Pink eyes found him immediately, the unease on her face clearing as a relieved smile tugged at her lips. Magenta and Amaranth ran to him as soon as they noticed, slamming into his stomach and wrapping their arms around his waist.

"Hey girls," he patted their heads, fingers running through their hair.

He felt a little bad that he hadn't searched for them but things had been crazy down in Mantle, one thing after another. Cerise and her daughters had been at the back of his mind like a pinprick, a constant reminder, but he'd had to focus on other things. He was just happy that they were seemingly unharmed, though the girls were clearly shaken by what had occurred. They hugged him tighter, trembling as they buried their faces against him.

"Huntsman Jaune," their mother greeted with a wry grin. "It's good to see you."

"I'm glad you're alright," he said.

Their presence in Atlas meant that they hadn't been able to get to one of the emergency shelters and had been evacuated. If the Grimm hadn't been contained as effectively as they had been, she might not have been standing here right now. She and her daughters may have been dead.

His dark thoughts were reflected in her eyes and with some surprise she was suddenly in his arms, her face against his neck as she hugged him with all her strength. He slid his arms around her and embraced the three of them, feeling her shoulders shake as she attempted to suppress her emotions.

"Um," Yang scratched her cheek, looking a little lost.

"Sorry," he said, giving her a smile. "I know her. You know those escort missions I take? Her daughters were on that route."

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, peering at the two girls mashed between them. "I thought these girls were familiar. When you were hurt – I filled in for you once, you know, to share the load? Man, that feels like such a long time ago now."

So much had happened between then and now, she was right. It almost felt like a lifetime.

"Sorry about that," Cerise muttered as she pulled away, looking embarrassed.

"You've got nothing to apologize for," Yang offered her hand. "The name's Yang. I'm this knucklehead's friend."

Cerise didn't even blink at her prosthetic, taking her hand and giving it a shake. "Cerise. These are my daughters, Magenta and Amaranth. Girls – let go of Jaune and say hello."

As Yang entertained the twins, Jaune took Cerise aside.

"If you need anything," he said seriously. "Anything at all – don't hesitate to ask. I'll help in any way I can."

Her smile was warm and her pretty eyes were shimmering as she grabbed his hand and squeezed it affectionately.

"Thank you," she said. "I appreciate it. I – some of my friends are still down in Mantle, and I know that at least one of them..."

Jaune grimaced. The Grimm had taken them. It didn't need to be said. It was obvious from her dark tone. Causalities were unavoidable.

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It isn't your fault. What General Ironwood said – it's true, isn't it?"

Jaune nodded solemnly.

"Grimm have always been these mindless monsters to us. Beasts. We'd hear about attacks and sometimes, they'd even be spotted near Mantle but before this year, I had only seen one in person once in my entire life," she admitted, shaking her head. "Then the wall was damaged and they'd get into the city, I was terrified about letting my girls out of my sight and then you came along, and I guess I felt a bit safer knowing we had someone looking out for us."

She sighed.

"And now finding out that someone is actively doing this, that it isn't all just a mindless act... I don't know what to do. I don't know what to tell my girls."

"You tell them we're handling it," he said firmly and she looked at him, taken aback by his conviction. "I know it seems impossible. Salem – she's been doing this for a long time and yet here we are. Living our lives, standing strong, fighting for our place in the world. So that's what you need to do, Cerise. Just keep living. Keep doing what you've already been doing. Once you stop? Well, that's when Salem wins. You keep living and I'll keep fighting – because I'm a huntsman. It's our job."

She laughed, sniffling as she wiped at her eyes. "Why couldn't you have been my daughter's father?"

Her gaze was heated and full of promise, and Jaune choked when he registered her words. Checking his surroundings, he was glad to note that Yang had not heard her words – or if she had, she wasn't showing it. She was too busy regaling Cerise's daughters with stories of her childhood. No doubt some type of mischief she had gotten herself into. They were listening to her with rapt attention.

Yang was a good influence in some ways but not in others. He hoped she wasn't filling their heads with her more radical ideas.

"Have you been assigned a place to stay yet?"

She shook her head.

"Come on – I'll help you get sorted."

He showed her over to Ruby so she could collect one of the forms the younger girl was handing out. When they approached, Jaune did his best to ignore the lidded gaze from his friend. If the brilliant smile she graced them with was any indication, she was very happy to see him.

Maybe she hadn't been lying when she said she had liked it rough. Her subtle limp still made him feel terrible, though.

"This is Ruby," he introduced. "Ruby, this is Cerise. She... well, I guess she is a friend of mine. Could you help her fill out one of those forms and hand it in to the correct people?"

"Sure," she chirped, shooting Cerise a warm look. "A friend of Jaune's is a friend of mine. Follow me!"

"Thank you," Cerise then grinned at him, leaning in close so Ruby couldn't hear. "And you said you weren't a ladies man. Why are all your friends gorgeous girls, then?"

Blake, Yang and now Ruby. She would have met Weiss, as well, when she had filled in for him while he was in the hospital but didn't know she was also a friend of his. When she put it that way, it did make it sound like he was a bit of a charmer – even before he had started sleeping with all of them.

"Coincidence," he replied.

"Sure, sure," she said, voice playful. "Thanks again. I really mean it."

"Any time, Cerise. Just let me know when and where."

The way her eyebrow arched as she smirked was sexy as hell. "I'll hold you to that."

Jaune watched as Ruby led her away to a nearby tent before turning away, heading back over to Yang.

"Jaune," Magenta gushed. "Yang is totally cool!"

"So cool!" Amaranth echoed her sister, bouncing up and down.

Jaune scoffed. "Not cooler than me, right?"

They seemed to seriously consider it.

"She is definitely cooler," they both decided, laughing at his wounded look. "But we still like you more! Right, sis?"

"Right!"

"Well, you heard them," Yang shot him a shit eating grin. "I'm totally more cool than you."

Jaune sighed. "Well, they aren't wrong. Now scram, you two – your mother is just over there, in that tent. Stay safe, okay?"

"We will!" Amaranth gave him a hug.

"Bye!" Magenta followed suit before the pair skipped across the street.

"Nice girls," Yang commented before giving him a sly look. "So, I didn't know you were so close to a single mother. Anything I should know about?"

This was the problem he had feared from the very beginning. He had worried about his friends finding out about his activities with who was essentially a client, feeling it was unprofessional and that they would be disappointed in him for it. He wasn't sure why but now it just didn't seem quite so dirty a secret. Perhaps it was because after everything he had done, this was hardly the most shocking thing Yang could discover.

What was sex with Cerise next to fucking Blake, the girl she had a crush on? What was a bit of unprofessionalism compared to fucking her little sister? Then there was the fact that he fucked her, as well.

Things were certainly messy in his life.

"Nothing," he replied. "We're just friends."

"Hmm," she cocked her head to the side. "Well – if you say so. I really don't need the competition. When am I going to get my repeat performance, stud? You promised to take me out but things have been so crazy, we haven't really had the time."

"How about tomorrow night?" he asked.

Lilac eyes appraised him. "You mean it?"

"Yeah. Why not?"

Yang's face lit up. "Sounds like a plan. You better show me a good time, alright?"

"I will."

It would be nice to get out and relax, especially after all the stress with Jacques Schnee, Arthur Watts, the Grimm and Cinder Fall. While they waited for the Fall Maiden to make her move, they were to continue living their lives as normal. Amity was soon to be complete and then the whole world would learn of Salem. Until then, it was business as usual.

Yang moved closer until they were almost nose to nose, her chest brushing against him. "And then afterwards... you'll fuck my brains out, right?"

She was close enough to smell and she smelt good, like wildflowers and spice.

"I've been waiting so long for you to fuck my pussy again," she whispered, eyes smoldering. "I've been so fucking horny, thinking about it. I want you to have your way with me like you did that day on the mountain. You can cum anywhere you want."

Her dirty talk was making a very good impression on a certain part of his anatomy. It wanted to bury itself deep inside her heat, remembering how tight and hot she had been. Jaune wondered if her semblance had something to do with her body temperature. None of the girls he had fucked before and since had been as hot inside as her.

"Yang," he placed a hand on her arm. "If you don't stop, I'm going to have a very visible problem."

Her eyes crinkled as she smiled widely.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah – so tomorrow night?"

"You betcha~!"

"What are you guys talking about?"

Jaune sprung back in alarm as Blake looked between them, curious. Yang was completely unconcerned and simply laughed boisterously, hands on hips.

"Nothing much – just giving loverboy here a hard time. Have you met his lady friend from Mantle? She's a looker."

"Cerise?" Blake asked, looking to Jaune for confirmation. He nodded.

Yang blinked. "Huh? You know about her?"

"We checked on her, that night we were sent down to quell the rioting. Jaune was worried about her safety. She's nice."

"Oh."

"And really hot, I agree."

"Totally hot, right? Like wow."

"Guys," Jaune groaned as they both grinned. "If you are just going to tease me, I'm going."

"Cya~!" Yang called sweetly as he trudged away, across the street. He could hear them laughing behind him as he retreated.

Finding a spot to settle down, Jaune simply observed as people continued to be sorted and assigned new housing. It was a long shot but there was a possibility that Cinder and Neo could be among them, though he doubted it. They'd have already found a place to settle, he knew. But keeping an eye out was needed, just in case. If they could find the pair before Cinder decided to strike, all the better.

The General was searching in the meantime behind the scenes but nothing overt. Right now they had the advantage of surprise on their side. Cinder didn't know that they knew she was here. It wasn't the type of advantage you freely squander. They needed to be careful.

One slip up and she would be in control again, just like every other time they had faced her. They all knew what happened whenever she held the upper hand.

Jaune scowled.

He might not have been driven by an overwhelming desire for revenge anymore but he really wanted to see her pay for her crimes. He had come to terms with Pyrrha's death and everything that was involved in it but it still hurt. It was no longer an open wound but something that ached, deep inside. It was a pain in his soul.

He wished... they could talk again. He wished more than anything that he could hear her voice and look into her eyes, and see how much she valued him as a friend, as a partner, as... more . Listening to her recording had comforted him, once upon a time. But it was a poor, sad substitute for the real thing.

"Pyrrha," he whispered, looking up at the sky. "We are close. I – we'll finish what you couldn't. We won't let her hurt anymore people."

He shook his head.

When they did confront Cinder, they needed to be ready. She was the Fall Maiden. She was powerful. She was dangerous in a way that few people could be. When the time came, when they sprung their trap, whatever it was – it needed to be quick and decisive, with no room for error.

Jaune sighed. Enough of that.

He needed to figure out where he would take Yang for their outing. Date? It really was a date, wasn't it? Wasn't that something? He had already slept with a half dozen girls yet he hadn't taken any of them on a date. There was something backwards and wrong about that, and his mother would be horrified yet what could he do about it now? The closest was going to the movies with Weiss but Oscar had been with them, so that didn't really count.

He was taking Yang out on a date.

Then afterwards, he was going to take her to some hotel and pummel her scorching pussy until he couldn't move his hips anymore. He was going to cream pie her endlessly until she couldn't walk around without it slipping down her thighs. Her teasing had awoken his blood and his imagination couldn't help but run wild with thoughts about what he was going to do with her. It didn't seem to matter how much he had sex. He'd just fucked two girls in one night and his libido was as strong as ever.

Jaune sighed.

He should probably take her out to eat, right? That was a solid idea. They could grab a bite and then explore Atlas a little bit. They'd already done the whole clubbing thing so maybe something a little more laid back. Jaune opened his scroll and began scouting places that Yang might enjoy visiting. The blonde girl was more extroverted than her sister but she shared a lot of common likes with Ruby. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a place where they could have fun.

If it was a date, did that mean things were serious between them?

Jaune paused.

So far, he'd just been having sex. He hadn't given much thought to what it actually meant for any of the relationships he had been engaged in. Yang had confessed to him in the heat of the moment but he was unsure if she really had feelings for him or was just overwhelmed by her orgasm. None of the other girls had told him they loved him or asked for anything more. Neon had even pushed back against things going further, actively worried he might fall for her.

It was a little strange.

He shook his head.

The whole situation was weird. He had been thinking that from the start. It just seemed abnormal. But everyone seemed happy with the way things were going.

That was only because they didn't know about each other. Well, with the exception of Ruby. She knew about Blake but didn't seem to care. The rest were in the dark.

Why didn't Ruby care? Shouldn't she care about that? That he was fucking one of her friends and then fucked her? Not just that, Ruby had been the aggressor. She had come to him in his room. She had gone out of her way to get a condom, even if they hadn't been able to use it in the end. Not only did she not seem to care, it had spurred her on.

He just couldn't figure it out.

His scroll dinged with a text.

Rainbow Katt: Sorry.

Jaune blinked.

Now that had been unexpected. She hadn't messaged him in a good while.

It dinged again.

Rainbow Katt: I was being a bitch. I... just felt like you didn't find me sexy or something, I don't know. It hurt my feelings as a woman.

He hadn't meant to make her feel that way. Not at all.

Jaune Arc: Trust me, Neon. You've got nothing to worry about. You are amazing. You felt amazing that day as well. I guess that can happen sometimes. Girls don't always have an orgasm, right?

At least, that was what he'd heard. All the women he had been with had reached their peak. When he thought about it, he'd probably feel pretty shitty if he couldn't get someone off. Like he had failed or something. That was probably what Neon had been feeling and was the source of her anger.

He hadn't been lying. Sex with Neon had been awesome. Both times, even if the second time had ended poorly.

The next time his scroll dinged, it wasn't a message. It was a picture.

Jaune groaned at the sight. Neon on her bed, her thighs spread lewdly as her fingers pulled her labia apart. Her pussy was flushed with arousal and drooling thick streams of her sticky essence down over the curve of her butt. His cock swelled as he devoured her pretty little cunt with his eyes.

Another message followed it.

Rainbow Katt: This little kitty misses you. Make sure not to neglect her, okay~~~