Playing For Keeps - Ch 65 (Adv) - You Only Live Once (Patreon)

DM: Ohm -› Ko'origashigoroshi | Wednesday 02:42

‹Ohm› dare I ask how this came about?

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› Way I heard it, your Baby Hunter friends tried to sneak into a meeting. Probably would’ve gotten away with it if they hadn’t tried pushing their luck with outdated passwords.

‹Ohm› who else knows you have them?

The answer to that question would inform my entire approach to the rest of this conversation. Cinder wasn’t a factor, since she was here in Mistral and Roman wouldn’t be hurrying to tell her about catching Academy students spying, but if Zora knew… or if Adam did…

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› A handful of grunts. No one important.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“They’re not out of the woods yet,” Qrow warned me, having read over my shoulder.

“I know, but it means this isn’t nearly as dire as it could have been.”

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› I take it you’d prefer it remained that way?

‹Ohm› yet more evidence that you’re the actual brains of this outfit

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› You flatterer~ You’ll make me blush!

‹Ohm› not that anyone would see it

‹Ohm› or should trust it if they did see it

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› So you really do know how my Semblance works?

Halfway through typing I have approximate knowledge of many things, Ms Vanille, I paused, uncertain if I wanted to tip my hand quite that much. I was fairly sure I had Roman’s measure, and that he wanted away from Cinder more than he would hate owing me… but I was less sure about Neo. Revealing that I knew who she was could be a point of intimidation, but it might also scare her into trying to move against me, and Roman would definitely trust her over me.

Maybe there’s a way to strike a balance, though? Get the best of both worlds where she can’t be sure that I know, but can’t afford to take the chance?

After a moment’s thought, I erased the line and started typing again.

‹Ohm› I’ve always had a good memory for trivia

There, that hints at her birth name in a deniable way. She’ll still suspect that I know, but can’t be completely certain so she has to keep playing it cautious with me.

‹Ohm› could my friends there feasibly get away if you and Roman were ‘distracted’?

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› Depends. Can they feasibly stay out of our business until we finalize whatever deal we have with you?

‹Ohm› depends. you said WF were backing off; has that changed and you were planning something new without giving me a heads up?

“Careful…” Qrow murmured.

He has a point… but I don’t think I’m overstepping.

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› We weren’t even planning a job! The meeting they infiltrated happened to be in our backyard, and the idiots brought them here because the Cowgirl and the Bull are out of town for some other rodeo.

‹Ohm› so you’re down a safehouse but not much else

‹Ohm› that’s workable

‹Ohm› are their weapons still nearby?

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› On the table beside me.

‹Ohm› anyone else in the room?

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› Two White Fang on the door. Street trash.

Reflexively triggering [Fox’s Cunning], I bit my lip and drummed my fingers on rim of my coffee mug as I considered the situation.

‹Ohm› If someone important were to call you and Roman, could he get the guards to stand outside?

‹Ko'origashigoroshi› You want Roman to just kick them out? If he had an excuse, sure.

An idea started coming together, and I waved Qrow aside, pulling out a stand to prop up my black Scroll, and then placed a call.

The sound of a Scroll ringing interrupted Roman Torchwick’s smug monologue, and cut through the rising fog of panic that Blake had been trying to suppress ever since she and Sun had been captured.

Roman turned toward the diminutive pink-and-brown haired girl in the corner, who had been idly playing a game while her partner threatened them. “Who on Remnant is calling you?”

The girl held up the Scroll so he could see, and Blake caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar boy with dark grey hair and an arrogant face. She made a few sharp gestures with her other hand, causing Roman’s eyebrows to rise, before he glanced at the masked White Fang guards standing in front of the door.

“Well, go on,” he drawled, dropping the masks Blake and Sun had stolen with a clatter and leaning on his cane. The girl picked up the call, and the grey-haired boy’s profile picture was replaced with a video feed. Roman hitched on a smile and cried, “Mercury! What a pleasant surprise!”

The boy blinked, dark grey eyes taking in the scene, before he said, “Roman, Roman, Roman… I call for a status report, and here I find you escalating to kidnapping? Don’t tell me, this is a runaway princess and her bodyguard, and daddy dearest will pay a king’s ransom for her?”

Blake couldn’t stop her eyes from widening, but fortunately no one was looking at her, and she’d already ascertained that the White Fang guards in the room were new recruits who didn’t recognize her.

“Don’t look at me,” Roman shrugged. “I wouldn’t even be involved in this if the animals could think for themselves.”

“And yet, they’re the ones wearing masks, while it’s your safehouse that’s gotten burned. Was it not enough to have a robbery foiled by students, and you needed to find another way to cement your reputation for incompetence?”

“I told you, that was not my fault!” Roman snapped. “I’ve stolen six entire tonnes of Dust in the past twelve months, and even when interrupted I didn’t get caught. I’ve got this whole town running scared, and VPD running around like headless chickens!”

“You’re an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask,” Mercury sneered. “You keep calling them animals, but let’s not forget that you’re the one currently in the doghouse.”

“And maybe I wouldn’t be if I wasn’t being kept out of the loop of the Grand Master Plan!”

The boy’s eyes narrowed. “Watch it, Roman. Or would you rather I tell my boss you’re no longer willing to play ball?”

Roman took a deep breath to calm himself. “Fine. What exactly do you want me to do here?”

“Why, I want you to pat these two on the head and send them on their way, of course,” the grey-haired boy simpered. His eyes cut toward the door. “Send those two out.”

“You can’t just–!” One of the White Fang protested, before the boy cut across him.

“I can do whatever I damn well please, and every single one of you can cope and seethe about it.” He looked back at Roman. “I’ll tell you exactly what you’re going to do, but Taurus has no need to hear about it. If he bitches, tell him it’s need-to-know.”

The other White Fang took a step forward. “So you’re going to announce your plan in front of the prisoners?” he challenged.

Mercury gave a crooked smile. “You don’t need to worry your silly little head about that. It’s not like they’re going to tell anyone.”

“Well, you heard Mr Important,” Roman said through an obviously forced smile. “Time for walkies, you animals. Or do you think Neo and I can’t handle two bound and disarmed schoolkids? Or that you know better than who’s actually in charge around here?”

The two White Fang exchanged a long look, and the first one snapped, “We’ll be outside.”

“Make sure you bring a Pooper-Scooper!” Roman called after them as they left.

When the door shut, Roman’s shoulders dropped, and his entire demeanor changed as he rounded on Mercury again. “This had better be good, kid,” he said in a low voice.

“Relax,” said Mercury… but he sounded completely different, and when Blake blinked in shock, she found that the face on the Scroll was suddenly Jaune’s!

Sun let out a muffled sound of shock, eyes wide, so apparently he was seeing the same thing she was. Naturally she wondered if it was a trick, but then Jaune looked directly at her and asked, “Sierra Charlie?”

“Orpiment,” Blake replied reflexively, before flinching when Roman looked around at her. Still, at least she was now certain it was actually Jaune, even if she wasn’t sure who ‘Mercury’ was or how he was involved.

“More of a Coral before I called, edging on crimson,” Jaune chided, making Blake duck her head, “And we’ll talk about that. But it’s going to be okay.”

“And how, exactly, is that?” Roman hissed. “Are Neo and I supposed to take a dive and strain our credibility even further? A guy only lives once!”

“No,” Jaune denied. “You two are going to very visibly leave the room, lock the door behind you, and announce that you will have to once again wipe the White Fang’s asses for them. Then you order them to start working on packing up to relocate and lay low, before finally sending someone back in here. In the meantime, these two are going to sneak out as quietly as possible, head back to the school, and wait for me to debrief them. You then get to berate the White Fang for bringing them here, burning your safehouse, and letting them get away.”

“If the Fang are any smart they’ll keep it quiet… And if any of them report otherwise, the finger will end up pointed back toward Mistral,” Roman realized.

“Exactly,” Jaune nodded. “Qrow and I will meet with you this weekend.”

The girl holding the Scroll gestured at Roman, who translated, “Aren’t you out of the country?”

“I’m getting on a plane in less than twelve hours,” Jaune revealed. “Nine hour flight across six time zones puts me back in Vale by dinner.”

Roman clicked his tongue, but pulled out a folded switchblade and tossed it into Sun’s lap. “I’ll expect that back,” he told Jaune flatly.

“My friend there will hand it to me, and I’ll hand it back to you,” Jaune promised him, then added to Blake and Sun, “You two, for everyone’s sake, please stick to the plan. Neo, I’m sure you can make it look convincing if anyone glances in the room while you two storm out and slam the door behind you?”

The girl, Neo, turned the Scroll to face herself and gave a wicked grin.

“Just try not to go overboard,” said Jaune. He paused, then added much more quietly, “Thank you. I won’t forget this.”

Neo squinted at Jaune, and her heterochromic irides switched sides with her blink, before she gave a sharp nod and cut the call.

Roman didn’t bother looking toward them as Sun fumbled open the knife to saw through the ropes binding them to the chairs. He continued to stare at Neo. “You’re sure?” he asked finally.

Neo met his gaze unflinchingly. She reached up to rub the mitsudomoe-shaped button of her jacket, and nodded again.

“It’s been wonderful to see you, Jaune.” Bia embraced me in front of the plane’s boarding gate twelve hours later.

Much like in Vale, security had been mostly a formality, especially since Grandma and Vi were both present. For Qrow and myself, it meant a quick scan of our Scrolls confirming both our tickets and Hunting licenses, which got the Family Sword and Harbinger waved through. Our bags were scanned for unusual amounts of Dust, but since we were licensed Hunters that was the only hurdle. Overall, the airport staff had seemed almost apologetic, despite none of us raising a fuss.

“That’s my line,” I said playfully, wrapping my arms around her lower back and pulling her tightly against me.

She squirmed over the PDA, but obligingly pecked me on the lips before stepping back. “I’ll let you know when we’re going to be arriving in Vale,” she added. “Pending any changes, it’ll probably be around the term break in late July.”

“Can’t wait,” I said honestly, then turned to hug my sister and Grandma goodbye.

Quite unlike how one might expect from her aesthetic and general attitude, Violet was quite a huggy person. “Keep yourself safe, idiot,” she muttered. “And call if you need help. I can get there faster than anyone.”

“But can you do it safely?” I asked skeptically, considering just getting to the Flight 1387 crash site from Mistral had left her unable to manifest her left arm.

I had to stop myself from flexing my [Aura] when her arms tightened further. “I can damn well try.”

I hugged her just as tightly, pounding her lightly on the back. “Right back at you, Punk Rock.”

Grandma, despite being stronger than both of us, saw no need to posture. She simply wrapped her wrinkled arms around my neck when I bent down, and kissed the air beside each of my cheeks.

“You’ll tell me if there’s any fallout from my actions this week?” I asked.

“Any that bears mentioning,” she corrected, patting my cheek before letting me straighten up. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Jaune. Worry about your own job, and let me take care of mine.” Her sharp hazel eyes flicked to Qrow, who was re-capping his flask. “Branwen.”

“Lady Roma,” he replied, as politely as I’d ever heard him.

Grandma paused for a long moment, staring him down, before she said, “Teaching suits you better than you seem to think.” Then she turned and left, Violet trailing her after offering Qrow a quick, two-fingered Mistrali salute.

Qrow slumped. “Somehow, even when she’s being complimentary, it always feels like your Grandma would be just as happy seeing me dead.”

“From what I can tell, that means she likes you,” I shrugged. “If she didn’t, she wouldn’t acknowledge you at all.”

Bia extended a hand. “It’s been nice to meet you, Mr Branwen.”

Qrow grimaced even as he took it to shake. “Just Qrow, please. Or, just Branwen, if you absolutely must.”

Bia nodded thoughtfully. “I suspect we’ll also meet again soon?”

“I’ll be around for the Vytal Festival,” Qrow confirmed, returning to scanning the room with a practiced smile for the civilians staring avidly at the obvious Hunters. Softly, he added, “We’re expecting trouble from… that group.” Bia opened her mouth, and but Qrow kept going. “Don’t talk about it here. I wouldn’t have said anything; we keep it secret for a reason… but I know the Punk would probably just fill you in anyway.”

“I’ll talk to the others about bringing you properly onboard,” I said, neither confirming nor denying Qrow’s words. “I’d prefer you didn’t bring it up to Winter until then; I get the impression she can be more… impulsive.”

“It’s like you know her already,” Bia said drily, and I snickered.

“I look forward to meeting her properly,” I said, then paused as we all noticed a flight attendant approaching us.

She cleared her throat and said politely, “Excuse me, sirs, but this is the last call for boarding if you’re planning to fly with us today.”

Qrow turned away to give Bia and me a moment, giving the woman a charming smile. “Thanks for letting us know. Do you think you could help me find my seat?”

“I suppose this is goodbye for now.” Unlike a lot of airport-goodbyes I remembered on Earth, Bia’s gaze was clear and steady, a faint smile on her lips as she leaned forward to peck me on the cheek again. “I enjoyed all of our dates immensely.”

“I could do without being punched in the face quite so often, but I suppose I wouldn’t trade it,” I quipped, surprising a chuckle out of her.

“Good hunting, Jaune.”

“And you.” Bia made to step back, but I caught her wrist and yanked her forward again — not particularly easy even with my STR, but she didn’t try very hard to resist the motion. Catching her chin with the other hand, I did my best to make the goodbye kiss one to remember.

Judging by the wolf-whistles from passersby, and the flushed, beaming smile on Bia’s face when I released her, I suspected I might have managed.

With a final wink, I headed down the gangway to find my own seat.

Name: Jaune ArcLevel: 72 (Next: 7.73%)Title: InitiateRace: HumanAge: 18Job: Journeyman HuntsmanClass: PaladinSemblance: The GamerHP: 9253/9253MP: 5072/5072STR: 234 (100)CON: 297 (105)DEX: 167 (54)INT: 140 (51)WIS: 119 (53)CHA: 163 (53)Points: 167Money: 6,190,025LStatus: 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

Title obviously riffs on YOLO, but it's also a reference to the inspiration for Torchwick's character, so unlike most of my titles I don't totally hate it.

Slightly different twist on the cutaway POV here, but I think it worked okay.

I’ve been planning a scene somewhat like this since… at least ‘Playing With The Boys’, so like a year and change? My original image of it was much more overtly comedic, involving Jaune openly calling Blake and Roman ‘graciously’ allowing her to take the call, but I think this holds to the tone of the story better.

Neo’s emblem is a fairly common symbol in Japanese visual design or heraldry, where one or more tomoe (Japanese: 巴), or comma-shaped symbols, form a twisting or circular design resembling swirling water. Specifically, Neo’s emblem uses three of them, hence mitsudomoe (Japanese: 三ツ巴, ‘three’ + ‘tomoe’).

Then, to wrap up the transition, we see our heroes board the plane; we’re finally heading back to Vale.

Discussion Prompt

I think I’d like a vibe check of this arc as a whole. We’ve been in Mistral for a long while, and although I think the story is in a healthier place (and my writing skill much higher), I still feel like I can make more improvements.What did you like about this section of the story? What was okay but dragged? What didn’t work at all? What plot points did you force yourself to accept despite them not making any godsdamn sense?

…It hasn’t escaped my notice that the narrative headed to Mistral around the time I moved to Europe, and is returning to Vale around the time I’m moving back to America.Unlike Jaune, I am planning to move again in the future, but that won’t align with the next arcs. (…Probably.)