The Grass is Always Greener 008 (Patreon)

Apparently all you needed to do to get Pyrrha Nikos to reveal her heart was to get her a little drunk. Emerald’s little night out had been a resounding success in more ways than one. Not only was she able to deepen her building relationship with Jaune Arc but she’d also been able to gather valuable information on her main target.

Emerald knew that the friendship between Jaune and Pyrrha had been different than the others. That the champion fighter had a closer bond with her partner than she did with her other friends. She trusted him more, was more open with him and while Emerald suspected that maybe there was something more there, perhaps a little puppy crush, it had never been a serious consideration.

Just a passing thought. A possibility.

Until the crimson haired girl had just come out and said it. While Jaune and Yang had been on the dance floor, Pyrrha had spilled the beans. Only a couple of drinks in, and she’d been red faced, loose of lips, and hadn’t been afraid to speak her mind.

“Jaune is the most important person to me,” she’d said, voice firm despite the healthy flush across the bridge of her nose. “He sees me as I am and not an ideal, not as something to live up to. I am a person to him, just as you are or anyone else. You have no idea how valuable that is to someone like me.”

“He is quite the guy, isn’t he?” Emerald had needled and Pyrrha didn’t disappoint.

“He is the only guy for me,” Pyrrha had declared boldly, meeting her eyes. Strong hands had clasped Emerald’s own. “No other man will do.”

“Uh…”

“But I see more than other people realize,” Emerald had tensed as Pyrrha’s fingers stroked her wrist, pausing over her pulse point. “Weiss Schnee is blind – but you aren’t. You see what I see.”

“And what do I see, exactly?”

Pyrrha’s smile had been the most genuine smile she’d ever seen from the girl not directed at her partner. “You see what he can become – what he already is. You feel his warmth. Don’t you?”

If only she knew. To the outside perspective, it may look like Emerald was sweet on Jaune Arc – but that wasn’t the truth. This was only a job to her, a mission. She was working towards a greater goal. Not on her behalf but on the behalf of someone greater, the woman who had lifted her out of the muck. For Cinder, she would do whatever it took – even things she didn’t want to do, even things she disagreed with.

Even things that made that once good orphan girl from the streets of Mistral hurt.

“Maybe,” she’d replied but Pyrrha wasn’t satisfied with that.

“You can try hide it but I know,” her smile became more teasing, a hint of a smirk. “At first, perhaps you just thought he might be fun but now you aren’t so sure,” Emerald had felt a little uneasy at that before Pyrrha added, “Your heart is racing, by the way.”

Emerald had wrenched her hands away but Pyrrha hadn’t taken offense, instead sipping at her drink, looking all too pleased with herself. Tipsy, but no less formidable for it.

There was much more to Pyrrha Nikos than met the eye. A sliver of danger beyond just her battle prowess, hidden behind politeness and practiced smiles. Jaune Arc wasn’t the only one that was more observant than he let on.

But her admittance of feelings for her partner was valuable information, information that Emerald would pass on gladly. That was something Cinder could use to control the girl if need be. It was a weakness that could be exploited. Securing Jaune’s trust became even more valuable than ever before. Something that was already securely in hand.

As for the other thing…

Emerald felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket. Pulling out the device, she saw that she had a new message from Jaune. Opening it up, Emerald felt her mouth tingle in remembrance as a very familiar, very hard, long cock appeared with the caption, ‘Thinking of you.’

He was sending her dick pics now.

Her blowjob had apparently unlocked a side of Jaune that her handjob had not. Much more bold, he messaged her such things frequently. Rather than discourage it, Emerald replied in kind, sending back suggestive shots of her own to string him along. It had nothing to do with the little thrill she felt whenever she thought of what to send next, thinking up increasingly ludicrous ideas that she ultimately discarded. It had nothing to do with the way her loins would tighten when he’d reply with another picture, hand on cock, mid-stroke. It had nothing to do with the way her body yearned to feel his semen on her skin again, in her mouth – because she yearned for no such thing.

She didn’t.

...and if she did, it was nothing more than base lust. Biology. He was young, handsome and had a formidable cock, and she was a young woman of perfect breeding age. She would never be more fertile than she was now. It was a cock that would be desirable to any woman that desired a man. It meant nothing. Jaune Arc was just a target.

Nothing more.

A target with a really nice body and a really nice dick.

But there was no rule that she couldn’t have her fun. Emerald had thought she’d dislike the act of putting a man’s cock in her mouth but much to her surprise, she had rather enjoyed it. It didn’t feel demeaning at all, and it had helped a lot that she had been the aggressor, in charge. The way it gave her such control of him with nothing more than her lips and tongue, sucking at him, licking at him, rendering him helpless as she coaxed the boiling cum from his bursting balls. It had been her decision.

And now it was clear; he was hers.

Hers to do with what she saw fit. Hers to have fun with before his world came crashing down in a world of flames. She could take him to heaven before plunging him into hell.

She felt a twinge of discomfort at the thought but she chased it away. She knew her path. All she needed to do was walk it.

Emerald was alone in her dorm and so she took advantage. Ensuring that the door was locked, she removed her top and strapless bra until her chest was bared. Reclining on the bed, she held her scroll up above her body, angling it just right before snapping a shot of her shapely chest. As the picture was taken, she felt her dusky nipples harden, crinkling aggressively.

It didn’t mean anything. It was just a little cold in their room, that was all.

She sent it and waited, and she wasn’t disappointed. Another picture, this time of his fat glans leaking pre-cum as his hand cupped his large balls. Emerald swallowed. She snapped another shot, this time of her fingers lightly teasing her areola, circling them with her nails.

Jaune returned fire with a larger shot of his body, hard, lean muscle on display as his curved length arched up off his belly. From the looks of it, he was alone in his dorm room as well. Emerald hesitated, undecided.

So far, she’d only ever sent him pictures of her chest. It was simple, easy – and something she had little qualms about sharing, even though at first, she’d been apprehensive. Having pictures of her out in the world was disquieting but as long as her face was in none of the shots, no one could ever link them to her unless Jaune told. That wasn’t something she believed he would ever do. The thought of going further made her feel strange, though, as if she was stepping over some line. Which was idiotic since she’d just sucked his cock, hadn’t she? Showing off a picture of her ass should be simple after something like that. Showing off her… most intimate place should be easy.

And yet… it made her feel weird.

Emerald bit her lip, hands dipping down to the waistband of her pants but before she could continue, she heard the doorknob rattle on the door. Jerking up in a panic, she rushed to throw on her top as she heard Mercury swear.

“Why isn’t my scroll unlocking the door?” he pounded on it. “Em, are you in there?”

Bra and top secure, she thought of an excuse quickly. Running into the bathroom, she wet her hair until it was soaked before drying it vigorously, wrapping it up as she unlocked the door. Mercury’s unimpressed face met her.

“Sorry, just had a shower,” she lied calmly, though inside she was anything but. Being caught by Mercury of all people would have been a disaster. She’d have been forced to kill him to keep his silence and that would have angered Cinder greatly. She felt her scroll vibrate in her pocket again but ignored it.

He frowned. “Another one?” he asked dubiously. She showered every morning, after all, and it was only just after noon.

“If you must know, I’ve been training,” she invented on the spot.

Suddenly, he appeared much more amused. “Oh? With your little lover boy, I take it?”

Emerald rolled her eyes. “Yes – doing my job. Unlike someone.”

Mercury scoffed. “Yeah, yeah – whatever.”

He was alone. Peering out into the hallway, she looked both ways but didn’t see anyone else.

“Where is Cinder?”

“Fucked if I know,” he shrugged, making his way over to his bed and flopping down. Emerald cringed as his metal legs clanged together as he crossed them. “Think she went down to Vale.”

“What? Why?” Emerald demanded.

Mercury flipped her the bird. “You think she’d tell me shit? Maybe she just wanted to get away from this place for a bit.”

There was a big operation happening in a couple of weeks involving the White Fang and Roman Torchwick, and Neo’s frequent appearances were more than a little concerning. While Cinder hadn’t gone into many details regarding any issues, Emerald knew that their first big move was coming, a prelude for what was to come when the Vytal Festival really kicked off. Their plan heavily involved the Grimm, and whipping them into a frenzy using the negative emotions generated by the population of Vale. A two pronged attack – a primer, and then a finisher that would culminate at the apex of the tournament. They were currently stationed at Mountain Glenn, preparing for that first strike. An attack that would place Vale on high alert, make the citizens uneasy and cause Atlas to tighten the noose when their overzealous General took the bait.

Working with the White Fang was already distasteful enough. Emerald had seen with her own eyes what some of those fanatics were like in Mistral. They didn’t care who they hurt, so long as they were human. Working with the Grimm…

That was beyond distasteful. It was downright wrong. They were the enemy of all.

Emerald scowled.

Why was she questioning this now? She knew what was coming. This was no time to get cold feet.

“Nice expression. You look like you need to take a shit.”

“Fuck off,” Emerald snapped, marching into the bathroom to fix up her hair. Drying off and combing it neatly, she left before Mercury could annoy her any more than he already had, slamming the door behind her.

As it was the weekend, Emerald didn’t really have anything to do. There were no classes, and she didn’t much feel like going down to the city. She wandered around campus having no destination in mind. Other than a few students loitering around, taking in the sunshine, there really wasn’t anything interesting occurring.

She made her way over to the CCT, gazing up at the towering building. A marvel of engineering, this is what allowed global communications. Security lingered by the door, keeping a close eye on those that entered. A little to the left were a couple of stores; an on campus cafe, and even a gift shop selling Beacon merch. A number of workers from the CCT were seated outside the cafe, cradling coffees and catching a quick bite to eat. This was one of the busier sections of the school grounds.

And an important part of their plans. Perhaps the most important.

Emerald felt her scroll vibrate again. Checking it, she felt her insides coil as the results of his stroking hand were revealed to her. Thick stands of cum painted his rugged stomach, no doubt from a powerful ejaculation. Long stripes that reached as far as his chest.

Emerald tried to ignore the way her belly quivered, a strange floaty feeling gestating low in her tummy.

Before she could put it away, another message came through.

Jaune Arc: Is everything okay?

That was a strange thing to ask after sending a bunch of masturbation pictures but then she realized why he was asking. She’d randomly stopped replying mid-way which wasn’t the usual way of things between them.

I’m fine. I just got interrupted, that’s all.

He replied quickly.

Jaune Arc: Bummer. You really helped me out there with those awesome tits.

Emerald snorted. Men. Jaune Arc might have been better than most but even he fell under the sway of the female form. He’d just needed a little coaxing, that was all.

She totally wasn’t happy with his words. Not at all. They were just breasts. She didn’t care if he thought they were awesome or not.

Glad to be of service. I really liked your pictures, as well.

A sudden shadow was cast across her and looking up, she saw the pride and joy of the Atlesian battleship division pass in front of the sun, the latest and greatest in military technology. It was the flagship of the Atlesian armada, a symbol of their might – and proof that something was afoot. Why else would another kingdom bring their full strength to bear? You only ever projected strength when there was something or someone you needed to dissuade. The citizens of Vale knew that this wasn’t normal.

It only added to the undercurrent of fear that Cinder was trying to cultivate.

And soon, it would be a tool of terror.

Another message came through.

Jaune Arc: Hey, listen – I was wondering if you wanted to meet up later? Around dinner time?

Emerald blinked.

Sure, that’s fine. Did you have something in mind?

Jaune Arc: That’s a secret – but don’t eat first, okay?

Oh? Emerald tilted her head curiously. What was this about? It felt a little like he was asking her out on a date of some sort.

Are we going to Vale?

Jaune Arc: Nope~! And stop asking, I won’t tell! Just… it’s pretty warm out, so maybe you could wear a skirt or something.

She almost laughed. Emerald knew where this was going now. He was hoping to get lucky. He thought that now that they’d done a few things together, she was willing to put out and go the whole way. He was getting pretty arrogant, wasn’t he? Not that Emerald was going to break the illusion so soon.

There were plenty of things she could do to him without doing that.

A skirt, huh?

Jaune Arc: And maybe some thigh-highs.

Emerald did laugh this time. He was really going for it. Is that what he liked? A girl in a skirt and thigh-high socks? That was interesting. Maybe she would humor him. If nothing else, this would only increase his affection for her.

Aren’t you demanding? I’ll see what I can do.

The problem was that she didn’t really have a skirt other than her Haven uniform one – or thigh-high socks, for that matter. She’d have to go down to Vale if she wanted to buy any… unless…

It took a little digging but Emerald found out where the school took the students dirty laundry. While the school didn’t and would never handle students' personal clothing, they had a system set up for washing uniforms and providing new ones should the need arise. The visiting schools had access to the laundering aspect of this system, and when the clothes were returned, they were pressed neatly, bagged, and even had the students' names printed on the bag.

It wouldn’t be difficult to snatch something. Not for Emerald.

Students were allowed in, and so she simply strolled in without a care. Other than her, there was a single member of staff. She was met by an elderly woman, her gray hair pulled up into a bun, face wrinkled with age. Just looking at her, Emerald estimated that she must have been over eighty years old, at the very least. Yet she walked with the strength of someone half her age. A retired Huntress, perhaps?

“Hello dearie,” she greeted, giving her a warm smile. “Here to pick up a uniform?”

“That’s right,” she smiled back, but the woman saw lilac eyes and blonde hair, not red and green. Semblance active, she saw Yang Xiao Long, not Emerald Sustrai. It really was effortless. “Room 23, please. Yang Xiao Long.”

She offered identification, her illusion flawless. The woman shuffled away, digging through a few recently bagged uniforms. As luck would have it, Yang had a uniform ready and waiting for delivery. If she hadn’t, she would have ‘purchased’ a new one instead.

“Here you go,” the elderly woman handed over the bag.

“Thank you.”

And that was that.

The reason she targeted Yang was because they were of a similar size. While Emerald’s chest wasn’t quite so big, they were the same height, and their waist and hip size was close. She also wore thigh-high socks to class, killing two birds with one stone.

She doubted Jaune envisioned her turning up in a Beacon uniform but that is what he was getting. Emerald wondered if he’d like it – seeing her in the uniform of his school, as if they were classmates – before frowning, annoyed that a sliver of doubt appeared, second guessing herself.

Why was she doubting herself now? She was only doing this because he asked, and it would only increase his infatuation with her. He asked for a skirt and thigh-highs, so that is what he was getting. What guy wouldn’t love this?

She was being dumb.

As much as it annoyed her, she felt a welling of anticipation building within her as the day continued. Emerald spent much of her time just wandering around campus, acting out the life of a lazy student without much on her plate. When she finally returned to her dorm, Mercury wasn’t the only one present. Cinder had returned.

“Ma’am,” she greeted respectfully.

“Emerald,” the raven haired woman returned. Amber eyes fell to the plastic wrapped uniform tucked under her arm.

The question was clear, it didn’t even need to be asked.

Emerald hesitated. “I have… a date this evening.”

Mercury snorted.

“Oh? With Jaune Arc, I presume?”

“That’s right, ma’am. I believe we are having dinner together.”

“I see,” Cinder tilted her head to the side. “Things are moving along smoothly.”

It was more of a statement than a question, but she answered anyway. “They are.”

“He is smitten with you?”

“He is.”

“Excellent,” Cinder leaned back, adopting a casual posture, one arm keeping her upright. “The information you’ve brought me has been enlightening. My understanding of Nikos grows, thanks to you.”

“So why do you need a Beacon uniform for a date?” Mercury butted in, sounding amused. Emerald turned to glare at him.

“None of your business.”

“I admit some curiosity myself,” Cinder admitted, filling Emerald with dread. “What made you procure such an item?”

She swallowed.

This was more embarrassing than she thought it would be.

“He… asked that I wear a skirt,” she said slowly. “...and thigh-highs.”

Cinder blinked as Mercury guffawed.

“Ahaha – so that’s his kink, huh? I guess that is pretty tame as far as fetishes go. Always knew he would be pretty vanilla.”

Emerald grit her teeth.

“I see,” Cinder finally said, a hint of a smile touching her lips. “You’ve shown great commitment to your role. I am continually impressed.”

Emerald ducked her head. “I serve how I can.”

Mercury snickered.

“Now then,” Cinder said, her change of tone causing them to take note immediately. “I have much to share.”

The rest of the afternoon was going over the finer details of their plan. Cinder revealed that the Mountain Glenn operation was nearing its completion, and all they were waiting for was the right moment to transport the stolen Dust that Roman had collected to the ruins of the failed expansion city for the White Fang to utilize in their attack. The cause for Neo’s random appearances became clear when Cinder explained growing tension within the faunus organization – or rather, the tension growing from one source in particular.

Adam Taurus was an impressive fighter, a capable leader and to his people of similar like-mindedness, a charismatic man – but he was also impulsive, emotional, and angry. There were many reasons for his anger but one of the biggest was a certain cat faunus by the name of Blake Belladonna.

“He knows she is here,” Cinder explained. “The fool was skulking around the city, waiting for an opportune moment to make a move. He was in the city that day you accompanied them to Vale. He even saw you.”

That was news to her.

“Your presence was the only reason he didn’t do something stupid,” Cinder scowled briefly before her face smoothed out. “Neo was tailing him on my behalf. Thankfully the matter has been settled. He knows what the consequences will be if his private desires get in the way of the bigger picture.”

There was also talk of the Beacon dance.

“I want the pair of you to be front and center, mingling with the students. While everyone is taken up with the festivities, it will be the perfect time for me to slip away and infect the CCT systems. They must not know that anything is amiss. You will cover for my absence should the issue be raised.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Mercury smirked.

They covered some more minor logistical issues like the gathering of airships for the final attack, the ferrying of White Fang and Grimm into Amity Colosseum. It wasn’t easy to hide a small fleet of bullheads within a kingdom without notice, especially with an Atlesian armada hovering above. There were only so many abandoned warehouses.

Before she knew it, it was approaching evening and when her scroll started vibrating, Emerald knew it was time. A quick glance showed that it was Jaune, as expected.

Jaune Arc: Meet me out by the old storage shed in thirty minutes.

Right. It was time.

Emerald didn’t bother with the vest or jacket, leaving them aside as she got dressed in the bathroom. Slipping into the red plaid skirt and white shirt, she quickly noticed that the shirt was a little too big in the chest. An expected outcome, one that Emerald rectified by tying the ends of the shirt together in a knot, turning it into an improvised crop top of sorts. Rolling the thigh-highs up her legs, she tied the red ribbon around the collar.

She looked like a trampy version of a school girl.

She hadn’t bothered to steal any shoes so she just wore the Haven Academy issued shoes.

Skirts always bothered her because of how vulnerable she felt in them. Emerald knew that combat skirts were designed with fighting in mind but regular skirts had a habit of flipping up with any vigorous movement. She wasn’t keen on flashing strangers with her panties, so she usually wore shorts underneath but this time she had forgone the item.

Combined with the thigh-high socks, it made her hyper aware of the strip of skin along her upper leg, the tightness of the socks compressing her legs slightly and making her thighs appear even plumper. Running her fingers across her skin, she shivered.

Her thighs were sensitive.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she was expecting some crass remark, a wolf whistle, anything – but to Emerald’s surprise, Cinder had sent Mercury away.

Cinder looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. “You look delightfully sinful, dear Emerald. Jaune Arc won't know what hit him.”

Maybe she should have worn the jacket to cover up a little. Eyes followed her as she made her way across the school grounds but she did her best to ignore them, arriving at the spot as Jaune had instructed. He was already waiting for her, a large basket by his feet and a rolled up blanket tucked under his arm.

“Hey…” he greeted happily before trailing off, his eyes drinking her in. Emerald smirked, pleased by the way his mouth opened, slightly slack, a small thrill running through her. “Wow… you look…” he cleared his throat, eyes on her thighs. “Amazing. You look amazing. I didn’t know our uniform could look so…”

Emerald bit her lip. “So you like it?”

He nodded, meeting her eyes. “I love it. But… how did you get our hands on one of our uniforms?”

She shot him a wink. “I have my ways.”

Jaune was dressed in a simple pair of black pants and a white short sleeved button down shirt, his hair a little less messy than usual. Emerald found herself staring at his forearms and hands, strangely taken with how strong they looked.

“So… are we having a picnic or something?” she asked, looking pointedly at the basket.

Jaune laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. I know a really nice spot. Come on.”

The spot he was talking about was perched atop a cliff overlooking the green expanse of the Emerald Forest. The view was breathtaking, a sea of leaves extending far into the distance, the setting sun giving everything a vibrant halo of light. Long shadows stretched across the ground as Jaune unrolled the blanket near the edge, finding a nice flat space for them to sit.

Had Emerald misunderstood his motivations? Or did Jaune want a repeat of their first encounter? That was bold of him, if so. She hadn’t expected him to jump straight to outdoor sex.

Emerald sat carefully, folding her legs to the side as Jaune opened the basket and began pulling out food. There was a wide selection of different foods found from the Beacon dining hall; chicken wings, sausages, potato salad, sandwiches, and more. He had also managed to steal away a flask and a pair of glasses, which he quickly filled with some type of juice.

He was wine and dining her, so to speak, with sandwiches and fruit juice. An appetizer, you could say, before he tried his hand at the main course.

Emerald felt… odd. This was much more effort than she was expecting. She’d been expecting something fast and desperate, a little dirty like his dick pics. All of their encounters so far had been sudden, filled with lust. This almost felt proper; an honest date.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that – but this would lead the same way, wouldn’t it? In the end, it didn’t matter how they got there. Jaune asked her to wear a skirt so he could flip it up and fuck her, strong hands grasping at her plump thighs. He wanted to fuck that fat cock deep into her body. The question was; would she let him?

“How’d you find this place?” she asked.

“This is where we started our initiation test,” he replied, shooting her a wry grin. “We lined up here and then the Headmaster catapulted us into the forest with very little warning. Scared the hell out of me, if I’m being honest. I’m lucky I didn’t become a smear on the ground.”

That… sounded surprisingly brutal. “He just flung you guys off the cliff?”

“Yep.”

Cinder had called Ozpin many things. A master manipulator, a formidable tactician, a powerful warrior, a soft hearted fool but… “...Ozpin sounds like a jerk.”

Jaune laughed. “I wasn’t too happy about it all. Prepare your landing strategy, he said. What the hell does that even mean? Anyway, no one died so I guess it’s fine but it wasn’t very fun.”

Jaune handed her one of the glasses and she took it, giving it a sip. It tasted of orange and mango, the drink chilled.

“Did you guys have to do anything like that at Haven?”

“Not really,” Emerald shrugged. “There was a written test and then we had to prove our skills to the teachers. Things like shooting at moving targets or defending ourselves from an assailant. It was all pretty bland.”

Not that they’d taken part in any of that. Lionhart had ‘overseen’ their tests personally or so the story was told to any who questioned their place. In reality, they’d just shown up one day and that was that.

“That sounds a lot safer than what we did,” Jaune groaned. “We had to fight Grimm and the first person we locked eyes with was to be our partner for the next four years.”

“What?”

That sounded… really fucking stupid.

“Yeah, wild, right?” Jaune shook his head. “Everything was going fine until Pyrrha and I found a cave, but instead of the relics we were meant to find to complete the test, there was a giant Deathstalker inside! If that wasn’t bad enough, Ruby and Weiss had pissed off a massive Nevermore and they somehow ended up on its back. We had to fight both of them at the same time and they weren’t like regular Grimm. I thought I was going to die for sure,” he then laughed. “But in the end, we managed to pull through. It was eye opening, for sure.”

Beacon sounded a lot more insane than Haven did.

Pulling out some plates, knives and forks, they began filling up their plates. Emerald hadn’t eaten since well before lunchtime, as per his request, so she was actually really hungry. The food here at Beacon never disappointed. Even the sandwiches that were just simple ham, mashed egg, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise tasted great. She found herself quickly polishing off a plate and going back in for seconds.

All the while, Jaune talked about anything and everything.

“My parents didn’t really want me to become a Huntsman,” he revealed, tearing the meat off a chicken wing with his teeth. “They wanted me to do something safer. But I’d grown up on stories of my great-great grandfather. He fought in the Great War – actually, that sword I use? That actually belonged to him. It’s a bit of a family heirloom. While they never forbid me from following this path, I could tell they weren’t really happy about it.”

“So your family aren’t in the Huntsmen business?”

He shook his head. “My dad was a warrior in his younger years. Our village has a local militia that helps defend against Grimm should they attack, but none of them are Huntsmen. Just the men of the village, all self-trained. Sometimes when there was a bigger threat, Huntsmen would be called in and my dad would help out since he knew the lay of the land better than an outsider would. But after he had a few kids, he gave it up.”

Only the most distant frontier towns had things like militia, armed men and women formed into units, similar to an army regiment. Emerald had never visited such a place, having grown up in Mistral and hadn’t left until Cinder had picked her up.

“Did he train you at all?”

“A little,” he said. “How to hold and swing a sword, how to hold a shield – but not much else. He didn’t have any formal training, so he didn’t want to give me bad habits.”

He liked to speak about his family. His eyes would light up as he told her stories about his sisters and all the mischief they would get up to. Having eight children in a single house was chaos personified.

Emerald was reminded of her time in the orphanage, the memories of which were distant and clouded by time. She couldn’t remember much from those days but something she could recall was just how loud the place had been, dozens of unwanted children clamoring for attention. The matron had been an elderly lady with a warm smile and warmer eyes. In the winter, she would constantly be in the kitchen baking. Even now, Emerald could smell the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

It was a memory she hadn’t thought on in a very, very long time. The feeling of nostalgia hit her like a ton of bricks, threatening to crush her. Emerald swallowed, her breathing hitching as even the taste of those cookies briefly sparked across her tongue.

But then there was a fire in the night. The matron had perished, as had many of the other children. The only reason Emerald had survived was because she’d been woken by the girl in the next bed over when she’d wet herself, her sniffling whimpers rousing her from sleep. Emerald had been helping her into a fresh set of clothes when it happened. She recalled the heat of the flames, the stinging of her skin, the smoke choking her as she screamed, and the screams of the other children as they were burned alive.

Only a handful of them survived.

Arson, she vaguely remembered hearing years later. The reason? She never knew.

After that, she’d been on the street with nothing to her name.

...no, she’d had one thing.

A pendant.

It had been small, a pair of bluebell bulbs upon a slender gold chain, the petals a beautiful, vibrant violet-blue. Within each bulb were three delicate white-gold stamens, imitating the real flower to perfection. It had been the one item of her meager belongings she had been able to save.

She didn’t know how she knew because she had no memory of them but she did. That pendant had once belonged to her mother.

It had been her most important item.

And yet, even that had eventually been lost.

She hadn’t thought about this in years. Why was she thinking about it now, of all times?

“Emerald?” Jaune asked, voice filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

Red eyes blinked, and she was met with Jaune’s worried face.

“I’m fine,” she said automatically.

“Sorry, I’ve just been yapping away about myself,” he apologized. “I actually – I mean, the whole reason I asked you out here is because I wanted to learn more about you.”

“What?”

“It’s just I feel like I know so little, you know?” he rubbed his neck awkwardly. “We’ve done things… and I know you go to Haven and you’ve told me a little bit about Mistral, but… I want to know about you.”

Emerald opened her mouth and then closed it again, for once rendered utterly speechless.

“Like – do you have siblings? You strike me as an only child but I could be wrong.”

“Er – Uh, I don’t. I’m – you’re right, I’m an only child,” she stammered, feeling oddly weak.

“Did you grow up in Mistral or are you from the surrounding area?”

“I’m from the city. I never stepped foot outside of Mistral until I was sixteen.”

“What about your folks?”

Emerald felt a twinge in her heart.

“I – they died, when I was very young,” she took a moment to compose herself, throat feeling constricted. She couldn’t even remember the last time she spoke about her parents. “I grew up in an orphanage… and then after that, on the streets.”

Jaune grimaced. “I’m – shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up – god damn it, Jaune, there you go again, putting your foot in your mouth!”

Emerald was struck by how upset he looked. “It’s fine… I… don’t mind.”

Strangely, she was telling the truth. She didn’t know why she’d just admitted that about herself. She could have lied easily enough and yet for once, she’d been completely honest. She felt weird, out of sorts, and yet… she didn’t regret telling him that, even though she knew she should.

For someone like her, there was nothing more dangerous than the truth.

“Ren and Nora lost their parents when they were young, as well,” Jaune sighed, appearing troubled. “All they had was each other for a long time,” he met her eyes, as if he was seeing her for the first time, Emerald almost shying away from the intensity of his gaze. “You said you lived on the streets?”

She nodded slowly.

“Is that where you learned to pick pockets?”

Her mouth went dry in an instant.

For a brief second, she panicked. Her mind whirled with potential escape routes, her instinct to evade and flee rising up, thick and fast. He knew too much. But then she noticed there was no judgment in his expression, none in his tone of voice. All she heard was simple curiosity.

He’d seen her at the club swipe that card. He was putting the pieces together.

“Yeah,” she admitted. “That’s right.”

“I thought it was pretty cool, how you did that,” he told her, grinning. “Like – I know we shouldn’t steal and stuff, but you were so smooth when you did it. I can’t believe he didn’t feel a thing. How’d you even know they had one of those cards, anyway?”

“...you know how I heard people talking about those rooms?” he nodded, listening with rapt attention. “I saw them go up there not long after we arrived. From where we were sitting, I saw where they went, and even what pocket he kept the card in.”

Jaune whistled, impressed. “Wow. You must have great eyes. I could hardly see anything in there with all the flashing lights.”

His easy acceptance of her less than honorable skill set opened the floodgates, and Emerald found herself talking more than she ever had in her life. She spoke about her childhood, her real childhood – and how she developed the skills to survive, by watching the older children, by watching the adults, going unseen, unheard, unnoticed. She talked about the nights she went to bed starving, outnumbering the days she got to eat by a magnitude and more. She told him about the horrible things she witnessed. She pulled back the covers and showed him the truth of Mistral, one of the four great kingdoms of Remnant.

It was foolish. Idiotic.

Telling him all this was beyond stupid. She was opening herself up, making herself vulnerable, the worst thing she could do. He was nobody to her, a target, a little bit of fun – but she kept talking until the sky darkened above, and a wave of glittering, twinkling stars painted the dark, inky canvas that stretched from the ocean to the mountains beyond, and further, beyond where their eyes could see.

He listened to her without pause, never looking away, taking everything in with a calmness that only egged her on. Emerald vented years of emotional stress, turmoil, almost wishing to break him, to drive him away in horror, to see those baby blue eyes filled with revulsion and disgust.

None of that happened.

“I don’t know what to say,” he finally said during a lull in the conversation, shaking his head. “You’ve had such a rough life. But I do know one thing.”

“What’s that?” she asked, curious.

“You’re a strong person,” he said, holding her gaze. “To go through all of that and be here, trying to become a Huntress – to make the world a better place, to help others… it’s very admirable.”

Guilt crawled beneath her skin like an itch. She wasn’t admirable. She wasn’t trying to make the world a better place. If Jaune knew the truth, the reason why was here, the reason she was speaking to him at all – he would think she was a monster.

And yet… his words touched her in a way she didn’t expect.

No one had ever looked at her in such a manner before. As a person to be admired and respected.

She wasn’t sure why, but she told him about her pendant. The one she lost, the last piece of her parents.

It wasn’t until late that her head hit the pillow, and it wasn’t until morning that she realized just exactly what she’d done. She couldn’t find it within herself to care.

What was done was done.