Playing For Keeps - Ch 58 (Adv) - An Overdue Chat (Patreon)

“So lemme get this straight,” Qrow rasped over the phone. “You got to Haven. Found the team we were looking for. Verified their identities. And then decided to show off in front of them when you knew they’re gathering information for the Tournament?”

“No,” I drawled. “I said they popped up while I was teaching our backup the pecking order and I didn’t have a good way to refuse without losing the face I’d just gained. Besides, in case you’ve forgotten, everyone is gathering information for the Tournament.”

There was a moment’s silence, then, “…You made the bird pun intentionally, didn’t you?”

“I don’t always make puns, but when I do, they’re intended. I’m not a coward, I’m just not usually quick with that type of wordplay.”

“I knew I was a good influence on you.”

“I feel like Amber might contest that,” I deadpanned. “Not to mention Glynda.” I wasn’t in what I would call regular contact with the Deputy Headmistress, but Ozpin had taken to having her handle keeping me in the loop with the Guardians’ business. Presumably because she knows Qrow would just tell me everything if they didn’t. “Anyway, Operation Make A Wish is a go. I’ve let Bia know. I’m making her dinner tonight, and we’ll discuss the specifics on our end. I’ll pass you the details when I have them.”

“That suits. I’m meeting Leo soon to help prep the ambush site.”

“You’re still visibly leaving town tonight?”

“While loudly bitching about my useless apprentice being co-opted by the Familias,” he confirmed. “I’ll find somewhere to lay low near the hospital, so you’ll have the apartment to yourself, during and after your date.”

I rolled my eyes. “Overly presumptuous for two days after our first date, but thanks I guess.”

“Tell that to someone who didn’t see the look on your face after dinner last night,” Qrow scoffed. “Equal parts smug and dopey. You impressed her parents, kissed her breathless, and now invited her back to your place the following night? What does it sound like you’re aiming for?”

“Nothing she doesn’t approve of,” I said flatly.

“I never said you would,” he amended. “Hell, Punk, I know you wouldn’t do anything she’d say no to.”

I let out a breath. “Sorry. And thanks.”

“Besides, I’ve seen the girl; she could register her own disapproval perfectly well. Not to mention Autumn would freeze your nuts off.”

“True,” I said fondly.

“Now go buy whatever you need for tonight, plus some candy, flowers, and candles,” he instructed. “Won’t have any apprentice of mine being lazy about a date, it’ll reflect badly on me.”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re all heart, Qrow.”

Whoever stayed in this apartment before had good taste in ambient music, at least, I thought, scrolling through the collection I’d downloaded to my Semblance. And decent cookware, for that matter.

I didn’t have a ton of prep time before Bia came over, so I was going to try my hand at a deconstructed version of the yakitori/souvlaki I’d had on my first trip to Mistral. I had some ingredients in my [Inventory], and hit a street market for the rest.

Chicken, onions, bell peppers, garlic, ginger, olives, mirin, sake, and some local cheeses would cover the main dishes, plus some fingerling potatoes, sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice vinegar, tomatoes, mushrooms, zucchini, and bean sprouts for the sides. I would be making the yakitori sauce myself, but since I didn’t have a recipe for tzatziki memorized I picked up some of that as well. I could probably have made the pitas, but I also bought those for the sake of minimum quality. For the same reason, I swung by a bakery for a tray of baklava for dessert. Just over a thousand lien for all that. Let’s pick up a bottle of wine and a box of candy and it’ll still be cheaper than a nice restaurant without the hassle of reservations or crowds… Oh, my rent finally came out, as well.

While my sister had moved out of the apartment back in March, she continued to pay the rent through the end of her lease term in April. By then, we had killed Amphivena, at which point my name was starting to be recognized in its own right and the building’s owner was only too happy to transfer the lease to my name; even lowering the rent slightly. Not that 40k Lien is cheap by any means, but I’ll take it.

The sky was threatening rain all morning, with heavy dark clouds swirling around the peaks of the mountains, but nothing came down while I was out. Maybe we’ll have a nice storm to set the mood tonight, I mused, setting everything I would need for cooking on the countertop: mixing bowls, cast iron skillet, carbon steel wok, mortar and pestle, and assorted measuring spoons, along with all the ingredients.

First thing’s first, marinate the chicken. This is already fusion so I think I can make a Hawaiian-style marinade work with some slight alterations. Soy sauce, brown sugar, a chopped onion, grated ginger, olive oil, ground black pepper, and some oregano and smoked paprika were joined by a number of crushed garlic cloves — the recipe I’d been taught called for four, but I always started with six and went up from there. Much like vanilla extract when baking, you measure garlic with your heart. I diluted that a bit with water for coverage and whisked it up, then slid the cubed chicken into the bowl with it. I almost always went with chicken thighs over breast; much tastier and usually cheaper to boot. Toss to coat, cover the lid, and into the fridge it goes for as long as possible.

Next, sauces and dressings. Normally I would have made those last, but my [Inventory] kept things in exactly the condition I put them in, so I didn’t have to worry about them cooling or overdeveloping. Yakitori sauce needs to cook a bit so we’ll start there. More soy sauce and brown sugar, more grated ginger, the mirin and sake, and another hearts-measure of crushed garlic went into a saucepan, beginning to heat while I whisked some cornstarch into warm water and then incorporated that. Heat that and stir until it thickens. Meanwhile, tempura batter is easy; flour, baking powder, cornstarch, egg, pinch of salt, and the secret: a can of local beer. That went into the [Inventory], and I took a second to stir the yakitori sauce yet again.

The last one was trickier; I knew the recipe for sesame dressing, but hadn’t actually made it before. Toast the sesame seeds in the pan, then grind them into a rough paste before combining with, once again, soy sauce and brown sugar, grated ginger, mirin, olive oil to emulsify, rice vinegar, and a splash of sesame oil. It still seemed a bit thin after mixing, so I added a spoonful of tzatziki to make it a little creamier. That’ll work; I’ll toss the extra veggies in that once the main course is done.

By that time the yakitori sauce was done, so both it and the dressing joined the tempura batter in my [Inventory]. Next, I cubed the halloumi cheese before setting it beside the crumbled feta.

“I was lost ‘till you were found, but I never knew how far down I was falling~ Before I reached the bottom…”

A smile split my face before I even read the accompanying popup, [Incoming call from Amber…] Wiping my hands on a towel, I propped the Scroll up against the kitchen backsplash to answer while I kept cooking.

“Talk to me, Mon trésor; is everything all right over there?” I was still a bit concerned over her going radio silent yesterday.

Her answering smile put most of my worries to rest, however. “Yes, I’m fine, I just needed to unplug yesterday.”

“Good, I was a little worried. Not that you owe me constant comms availability,” I hastened to add. “I just wondered if something was wrong, and–”

“Jaune, relax, you’re working yourself up again,” she said soothingly. “Like I said, I just needed a night to myself.”

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay. I’m glad it wasn’t anything big, and of course I’m always glad to chat. How was your weekend otherwise?”

“Pretty good. I had dinner with Glynda, and we both put our Scrolls into Emergency Only.”

“Meaning you had to shut yours off to convince her to do the same,” I translated, and her answering giggle told me I was right. “Well, I’m glad she took a night off, too. People say I work too much, and I think they’re just not paying attention to how many plates she’s constantly spinning.”

“That was the idea,” Amber confirmed. “I was trying to get her out to a bar, but she wasn’t going for it so we had a night in. I set up a little wine-tasting party for the two of us with some of my Amphivena bounty.”

“Sounds fun.” I pulled out the marinading chicken, tossed it a few times to better coat, then put it back in the fridge before starting on vegetable prep for the main course. “Are you doing anything tonight?”

“Wasn’t planning on it. I had to cut back some of my training while you’re out of town, so my schedule’s pretty open.”

Oh thank fuck I didn’t have to fight her on that, I thought… which must have shown on my face, because Amber blew a raspberry.

“I’m not stupid, Jaune, and I’m not in a hurry to drop back into a coma. You told me if I conserve magic I should be good for almost two weeks, so I’ve been focusing on the Auraless program you designed.”

“Including the rest days?” I double-checked. “If you’re avoiding your Aura altogether you need to give your muscles time to recover.”

“Yes, you mother hen.” She was still smiling, so I didn’t take it seriously. “And yes, I know how to load protein. Even if I do miss your cooking. I might be a teensy bit jealous of Bia.”

“Did you two talk?” I asked. “She mentioned texting you.”

I wonder if it’ll ever not feel weird to ask my girlfriend if she gets along with my… other girlfriend? I was aware of polyamory as a concept even on Earth, but it wasn’t anywhere near as widespread as on Remnant, so I didn’t exactly have past experience to draw on, hence my stumbling when it came to taking Bia out.

“Yeah, bad timing with my night off, but I’ve been chatting with her today,” Amber replied. “I like her; she seems fun and from the little bits she’s mentioned about your mission I’m glad she has your back.”

“That makes two of us. On both counts,” I said, grabbing a nakiri knife to quarter the potatoes.

“I've been trying for hours just to think of what exactly to say~”

[Incoming call from Bia Álikos…]

“Speak of the Beowolf, she’s calling,” I muttered.

“Put her on; I don’t mind making this a three-way–”

My hand slipped and my Aura sparked as the knife grazed my thumb.

“–Call, Jaune,” Amber rolled her eyes. “Three-way call.” Her lips were twitching, though, and I smirked before putting her on hold to answer the other line.

“Talk to me, Bia.” I said, going back to slicing the onions. “Did something come up?”

“Hello again, Jaune,” she smiled. “And no, I’m not cancelling; I just wanted to check when I should come by. Were you already on a call?”

“With Amber,” I agreed. “She wanted to say hi; do you mind?” I could have just connected the calls, I supposed, but it seemed polite to ask first.

“Not at all,” Bia smiled. “I was speaking with her earlier, in fact, and I thought it went quite well.”

“Seems that way to me. One sec.” I joined the two calls. “Apologies for the delay — on both counts, because really, I should have done this sooner — Amber, this is Bia, and vice versa.”

“Hello again,” said Bia, apparently on reflex.

“Hey, good to put a face to the name,” said Amber. “Sorry to spring this chat on you; I know you guys have a date soon. I just thought we could take the chance to get all our ducks on the same page.”

Bia blinked as she parsed one of Amber’s idiosyncratic phrases. “Y-yes, likewise. And it’s no issue, I was just calling to see when I should come by.”

“Soon as you’re ready, I can have this done in less than an hour,” I estimated. “Take as much time as you need though, it’s not hard to keep warm.”

“I’m at my parents’ house, so I’ll plan on heading your way when we get off the call,” Bia decided. “They live in the same ring you’re staying on, so I’ll just be a few minutes. Was there something in particular you wanted to discuss, Amber? Or, ah, boundaries to set?”

“Nothing like that,” Amber waved her off with a smile. “Your relationship is between you two right now. If everything goes well, I’d obviously like to meet, but–”

“We should have the chance relatively soon,” I offered, glancing at Bia’s feed and raising an eyebrow.

“Indeed, I will be accompanying General Ironwood and the Atlas Academy students to Vale for the Vytal Festival,” Bia supplied.

“Oh?”

“I don’t know if Glynda mentioned, but I suggested an exchange program to the headmasters a couple weeks ago, and it seems they ran with it. There will probably be some professionals from Mistral and Vacuo around, too.”

“I think she did mention that in passing,” Amber recalled. “That’s perfect, then! We can plan on a proper meeting once you arrive; have Jaune make us dinner and then kick him out so we can have a girls’ night.”

“I can feel the love from here,” I snarked, dicing the bell peppers and tomatoes one after another. “Is that all I am to you, a meal dispenser?”

Bia looked worried, but Amber just smirked. “Not at all! You’re easy on the eyes, too,” she winked. “But Bia and I still need to get to know each other, so you don’t mind making yourself scarce, do you? Or are you afraid of what we’ll say without you around?”

“I’m not that insecure,” I laughed, slicing the rest of the vegetables thin for tempura. “And of course I’ll make y’all dinner. Bia, you can bring Winter as well; I’m sure I can whip up something that will satisfy her palate.”

“Specialists may eat better than grunts, but we’re still in the military,” Bia reminded me. “Even compared to officer’s rations, I’m sure anything you make will be delicious.”

“And that’s why I’m insisting you cook for us,” Amber added. “You can’t spoil a girl with your cooking and then withhold it, that’s just cruel.”

“Perish the thought.” I placed the largest cast iron skillet dry on one burner, and a wok with a few centimeters of oil on the other, turning both to medium-high. As they heated, I tossed the sliced vegetables in cornstarch, and drained the majority of the marinade from the chicken chunks. At last, it was time to start the actual meal. “It’s about to get noisy over here, so feel free to boot me from the call if you need.”

They both assured me it would be fine, so once both pans were up to temp I tipped the chicken into the cast iron, setting a timer for ten minutes. While that sizzled away, I started dipping the starch-coated vegetables into the tempura batter before carefully dropping them into the oil in the wok. Tempura vegetables cooked very fast, so it was a constant dance of draining leftover oil from the crunchy, blonde-colored results, dropping them into my [Inventory] and then frying the next few, occasionally tossing the chicken with my other hand.

“Isn’t it great when he gets focused?” Amber asked Bia. “Cooking, training, fighting…”

“One of my regrets from his visit to Atlas was being too sleepy most mornings to appreciate him cooking breakfast,” Bia replied, cheeks a little red. “But he does the same thing when weightlifting, so… I wasn’t too bereft.”

“Whereas he gets all awkward and self-conscious on a date, even when it’s going great,” Amber laughed. “I couldn’t believe he was the same guy who glared down Amphivena earlier that day.”

“I… did notice a small difference partway through dinner on Friday,” Bia admitted.

“That would be the moment he realized it was a date-date, and not just dinner with a friend… at a candlelit restaurant.”

“I can hear the both of you,” I reminded them drily, tossing the chicken once more.

“I’m sorr–” Bia started, but Amber cut across her.

“I’m not, and you shouldn’t be either,” she chided. “We’re teasing, Jaune, and I know you know that. Don’t make her feel guilty over being casual with you.”

I paused, looking at Bia. “You’re right, that wasn’t my intention. I meant that the same way as my ‘feeling the love’ comment. I’m not offended or upset, just… still not quite used to being in a relationship. Much less two.”

“You’re doing fine, Honey,” Amber assured me. “Yes, there have been hiccups and stumbles — you waited long enough to ask me out that I had started to think you weren’t interested, then failed to notice Bia was interested. You only asked me out via text, and then went out with her before letting me know.”

The recitation made me cringe, even as my hands continued the motions of frying the vegetables.

“But you addressed each of those,” Amber went on. “Your invitation was a bit delayed, but you went all-out for our first date itself, asked questions to genuinely learn about me as a person, and let me get to know you as more than just my savior. And even if it was interrupted, I wouldn’t change a single thing that happened afterward, either.”

“For my part, I could tell you were… attracted, when we met in Atlas. Sienna and Winter certainly noticed as well,” Bia offered, and I couldn’t help cringing again. “But you demonstrated restraint. You kept up conversation about our shared interests over the intervening months, and chatting with you became a highlight of my days much like Winter arriving home from work. She noticed it too, and when our paths crossed at the festival, she was the one to advise that I see how compatible we are.”

Now that caught my attention. “Really?” I couldn’t help asking, even as I tossed the diced onion and bell peppers in with the chicken, scraping the skillet so the crust forming on the chicken wouldn’t scorch. “Because I seriously got the impression she didn’t think much of me in Atlas.”

“A little jealousy where your partner is concerned is completely normal,” she replied. “But you showed maturity and respect for my existing relationship that even Winter had to acknowledge, and it’s also normal to enjoy having someone else appreciate your partner.”

“It’s called compersion,” Amber put in. “And it’s hardly exclusive to romantic relationships. It means feeling enjoyment for another person’s positive experiences.”

“And awkward start or not, you took responsibility for your mistakes with both Amber and me. You didn’t try to hide the errors, you apologized, and we had a terrific second date. I think it need hardly be said, but my family adored you,” Bia finished, a radiant smile on her face.

I had rather liked her parents too, but I couldn’t help blurting out, “Aside from getting punched through a window.”

“You what!?” Amber demanded.

Ah, I did neglect to mention that, didn’t I? “Wasn’t a big deal, I’ll tell you later,” I muttered, adding more oil to the wok to start frying the potatoes.

“Mama gave Uncle Anicetus such a scolding last night,” Bia confided. “Yelled that nothing you said hadn’t been whispered behind closed doors for years, that the whole family was lucky both you and Madame Roma were so laid-back or we’d be facing a potential feud, and if he ever did something so hypocritical again she would depose him as head of the Familia. If I weren’t already certain I liked you, I would have kissed you just for that alone.”

High CHA or not, I could feel my own face burning at the sincerity in her words. Unable to find words to reply, I went back to cooking, dumping the crushed garlic, lemon zest, and other spices into the skillet.

“How is it you can be so sincere when paying us compliments and yet can’t take one to save your life?” Amber giggled at my expense.

“Paying compliments is just telling you what I think of you,” I mumbled, dumping the cubed halloumi and crumbled feta in the skillet for a minute or two. “I think the world of both of you, so sure, the compliments flow. But when someone compliments me… all I can think of is the dozens of ways I could be doing more, things I could be doing better.”

“Okay, hang on, I know you’re aware of your own achievements and how impressive they are,” Amber probed. “So what’s the difference here?”

“It’s easier to acknowledge when there’s something I can point to. Grades, weightlifting PBs, dead Grimm,” Stat numbers going up, I added silently, slipping the sizzling skillet into my [Inventory] wholesale. “But with interpersonal relationships, hell if I ever feel like I know what I’m doing. I’m just flying by the seat of my pants and hoping my sincerity can make up for my shortcomings.”

Little as I liked to admit it, the old me from Earth probably had more in common with the old Jaune than either of us would have liked to admit, at least when it came to social situations.

“It’s not that I doubt the sincerity of whoever’s talking,” I hastened to add. “I just can never shake that little voice telling me I’m going to stumble or choke or fuck everything up.” The last of the potatoes went into a bowl, which I also stowed in my [Inventory], and with that I was done cooking. Drawing a breath, I tried weakly to crack a joke. “Who knows, maybe that springs from something breaking through the amnesia?”

Now there was a sentence with a double-meaning. Amber was the only one who knew the truth there — and some of my insecurity definitely came from my older memories — but based on some of the thing I’d overheard between Olivia and Indigo when training [Eavesdrop], it was barely a lie when it came to Bia’s perspective on my ‘lost’ memory either.

“You’re being entirely too hard on yourself, Jaune,” said Bia. “I’ll be the first to admit, I’m far from a social butterfly, but I think you do a much better job than me. I usually leave that to Sienna or Winter, and I’m confident I can rely on you for that, too.”

“You definitely worry too much,” said Amber. “Even a stopped clock finds a nut once in a while, and you’re well ahead of that baseline. It’s okay to doubt yourself, or even doubt us… but make sure to also let yourself have some trust in yourself. And us.”

Honestly… isn’t that the same advice Grandma gave me? I swallowed. “Thank you. Both of you.”

Name: Jaune ArcLevel: 62 (Next: 13.79%)Title: InitiateRace: HumanAge: 18Job: Journeyman HuntsmanClass: PaladinSemblance: The GamerHP: 8431/8431MP: 4619/4619STR: 229 (100)CON: 293 (105)DEX: 165 (54)INT: 139 (51)WIS: 113 (52)CHA: 162 (53)Points: 117Money: 965,025LStatus: Cursed – Yellow Death [High]

A/N: If you’re enjoying this story, feel free to check out my discord server at https://discord.gg/H6V854Fvbg

Well, that one got a bit away from me. I was expecting this chapter to be dinner, maybe with Jaune and Bia chatting while he cooked, but then Amber decided to call, and the conversation just flowed from there.

Side note, after all those questions and and second-guesses about the story’s pacing, I think I’ve settled on… I’m just gonna write how it feels like things should go, and try not to sweat it feeling ‘slow’. (Personally, I can definitely tell I’ve been reading Adrian King’s Game of Monsters lately, but imo there’s far worse fics I could be inspired by.)

I did a lot of combining and altering of recipes in a way that I think should work, but which I simply don’t have the budget to test. The chicken marinade is based off Hawaiian Shoyu Chicken, but applied to diced chicken that is then put into a Souvlaki-adapted skillet recipe for eating on pitas instead of over rice. I added Greek twists (mostly olive oil and more European seasonings) to the yakitori sauce and goma-ae sesame dressing, plus tempura-fried potatoes and veggies.

Nakiri bōchō (Japanese: 菜切り包丁, lit: ‘knife for cutting greens’) is a Japanese kitchen knife with a straight blade edge, lighter than a typical chef’s knife or gyūtō bōchō (Japanese 牛刀包丁, lit: ‘beef knife’).

I’m a little worried that Jaune’s insecurities will look like they’ve come out of nowhere, because he tends to present very confidently (even more so than he necessarily realizes), but hopefully there has been enough hinting in his inner monologues for this to feel more like he’s opening up to his girlfriends than suddenly making a sharp left into angst.He’s not going to behave differently when it comes to Hunting or Quests, just be perhaps a little more vocal about the uncertainties he was previously bluffing everyone about (including himself).