Mind Games

Jae was feeling all kinds of different emotions right now; there was the frustration towards Blake following her lashing out and blatant refusal to take care of herself, the building cocktail of anxiety and panic of having to go to this dance too but no idea who he should ask and on top of that; the fact that he was still unsure why most of the girls in classes now were asking him to go to the dance with them since the whole Grimm weapon revelation during his spar with Emerald.

For someone who was so confident in a fight recently, it was a rather shocking contrast when he ended up as nervous as he did around any potential dates but that didn't seem to stop it regardless. Jae managed to get himself a quiet spot in the library after managing to evade Cinder with her latest proposition for either the dance or something she like to phrase as; "Getting to know you better".

Jae was confused now more then ever; even before the big reveal of his Grimm weapon, plenty of people had come to him out of curiosity or for more personal reasons such as "How'd you get that strong?" or "What's it like being with the GREAT Pyrrha Nikos?" but he always had an answer in those instances. This time however with all the questions of the upcoming dance, his recent change in attitude from his withdrawn loner mood to a significantly more upbeat one along with his Demon genes working under the hood to improve his body during training seemed to have made him different.

All eyes were on him most days, talks of him behind his back and it wasn't even smack talk; at one point he overheard one random student saying that they would take their chances in trying to ask him out but never did. 

"Looks like you hit the big leagues buddy! Good job in making yourself more studly~!" That same voice rang in his head and complimented him on his slow yet noticeable transitions.

"What do you want this time? Because now any time you or that other guy comes along, stuff changes me and I don't know why or how…" Jae mentally argued back at the more laid back voice, unamused by their blasè attitude and happy go lucky demeanour but it still remained better then the other one.

"Because you got dealt that giant helping of crap all your childhood and now all that training and work you put in is now paying off! I thought you'd be glad that you're getting the right kind of attention, especially since I can practically feel everyone's stares on you…Even from your own team and the others!"

"Is there a mute button for voices like you up there?!" Jae huffed internally as this was getting more and more frequent since his…freakout following Cardin's shenanigans; "It's always the same anyway, they'll talk nice about me when I'm around and then once I'm out of sight than it's back to talking about how much of a freakshow I am!"

The brunette heard a sigh in his head and if this voice had a physical form, he could almost imagine it shaking it's head; "For a kid who's gifted with the genetic lottery and a Semblance that can turn heads, you really are just a bundle of insecurities, aintcha?"

Jae restrained himself from banging his head on a wall but once he was ready to talk back, the other OTHER voice came into play. "You act like it comes from nowhere, you make yourself stronger to fight back…against your father, against the other weaklings who tried to grind you down…All of it you overcame with this new power and if you want to truly excel then you need more!"

"Lien for your thoughts?" A feminine voice came from behind him as she tapped Jae's shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise and turned to face her; Emerald had been watching the whole time.

"Oh, I thought you were….N-Never mind, if you're here to ask me to the dance then I'm so-"

"I just wanted to check on you…you looked a little shaken up since what happened during our training match." Emerald would say as she leaned against the wall; unbeknownst to him, she was using her own semblance to hide the two from sight: it wasn't a tricky task to make them LOOK invisible but in her head, it felt like she was getting her brain squeezed.

"Well…I guess the better question is "Are YOU okay?", I don't think that anyone was prepared for…well, that." Jae mentioned though kept his wording vague in case anyone heard.

"You can talk all you want, I'm using my Semblance to block everyone out…" Emerald assured him as she made a gesture for him to keep talking; "So…Grimm Weapon…I gotta admit, I've seen some weird Semblances at Haven but I don't think I've seen one like your's."

Jae paused for a moment but then nodded; "It's a weird one, yeah…But because of it; I can turn Grimm into something useful." Jae explained as he watched Emerald for any sign of…well, derision. 

"That's actually pretty cool though, so why a set of Katars specifically?" She asked as Jae explained that he doesn't control the form it takes, despite Jae keeping most of it private; he gave it a good summary; "Oooooh, so it's like having a Semblance that makes the non physical into physical…That makes sense…They are a cool looking weapon though."

Jae chuckled a little in embarrassment but kept his usual cheeky smile; "Well, hopefully if things look good and they allow it…I can always try seeing how people react to them if I whip it out in the tournament events…Who's gonna be expecting a Beowulf Spear pommel to the noggin."

Emerald laughed a little; she figured with everything that she heard about him and what she saw earlier, he'd be as obnoxious or as smug as Mercury but he seemed to be more her speed: Only talking when needed, to the point and more importantly; Not so annoyingly happy all the time like Ruby. "You know, I've seen you around since me and my team transferred here…I'm almost a little jealous that your team has someone like you hanging around."

"Really? But you've got your guys too. Cinder turns anyone's head around and Mercury's pretty good if he can stand up to Pyrrha." Jae mentioned as he wasn't blind as to see what the others could do but he was still a little shaky when it comes to taking a compliment.

"Then maybe I should take the chance and ask you…did you wan-" Emerald started to proposition him but found herself interrupted by the sound of a very frantic girl running past, not noticing the illusion but the surprise managed to break it for Emerald.

"SOMEONE! GET GOODWITCH OR A TEACHER!" Yang was desperately yelling as she was running out the door that she had gone into with Blake for their private talk.

"Sorry but I gotta see what's happened." Jae apologised quickly to Emerald before running over to meet with Yang to find out what was going on. 

Emerald watched him rush off and sighed in dejection as she realised that she missed her chance and pulled out her Scroll when she felt it buzz; "Cinder…"

"How is your progress?"

"Nothing so far, the guy's honestly a lot more subdued about himself then I expected him to be, but he's not all up himself like SOME people I know." Emerald messaged back, making sure to note what she took away from the talk with him. "Mercury could learn a thing or two about humility from him."

"So were you able to get a date with him to the dance? I know you were nervous to undertake this~" Cinder would message back with a devil face and a flame picture.

Seeing this kind of message could almost make Emerald hear her saying this and that thought of her and Jae dancing together made her cheeks flush; "I wasn't nervous! I just didn't want to draw the short straw and end up going to the dance with an egomaniac!" She replied almost instantly; the realisation of how that text sounds trumped the flustering that Cinder was giving her; "Just…Leave it to me, I'll find a way to get an in for either me or for you…"

"Good girl, just remember…We're trying to win him over at best or find out any weakspots at minimum, use any means necessary to garner his attention…Flirt or bribe him if you have to." Cinder mentioned before going offline with a rather curt final message.

Emerald knew that the confrontation with him and Cinder didn't go to plan; Though the fact that the woman she considered to be vastly more attractive then anyone else was soundly rejected by Jae seemed to knock her for a loop, she had seen Cinder turn both men and women into a smitten mess before so hearing that someone like Jae could turn her down seemed almost absurd to imagine.

——Meanwhile at the Nurse's office——

"Thank you for coming by so quickly, Shion." Ozpin would remark as he watched a woman dressed as a witch examine the unconscious Blake in one of the bed. It turns out that the young Belladonna's excessive working had taken its toll and made Blake finally pass out in exhaustion after Yang offered her a dance.

"Honestly, Professor…I should charge you something extra for this emergency visit, but safety of the students come first after all…Though the fact that you brought her in like this is concerning." Shion mentioned as she looked over Blake; the dark rings around her eyes were a bad first start though she noticed something a little deeper when she moved some of her hair back and saw what looked like a thorny vine around her neck. "I think I know what the problem is…It looks like a Nightmare got a hold of her, if what her team mates are saying is true then it might have gotten it's hooks in deep."

"A Nightmare? But she looks like she's sleeping soundly." Ruby mentioned as she was sat on a chair nearby looking worried, Weiss was pursing her lips and lamenting not helping enough while Yang was frustratedly pacing about and considering she was right there when it happened made her feel useless.

"Nightmares…Port talked about them in the last Semester before our field trip; They're essentially Grimm parasites that latch on to feed on people's dreams." Jae explained as he snapped his fingers, earning him an impressed look from both Shion and from Weiss.

"Very impressive, young man…Though you are only HALF right; Nightmares are carrion like hyenas or vultures, they compensate for their weak strength by targeting the weak, the tired or the mentally exhausted." Shion explained as she started to grab her things and set up what looked like a ritual. "Since they're weaker then the average Grimm, they don't normally hunt brazenly so whatever had Ms Belladonna all worked up must've been something pretty potent."

Yang growled in frustration as she was sick of spectating; "Okay, so how do we fix this? I'll grab it and just tear it off like it's a bandaid!" Yang remarked with a grimace as she noticed the thorny vine marking spread to Blake's arms.

"It's a little more complex than that, Ms Xiao Long." Ozpin explained as he noted the group's worry and tried to mediate; "A Nightmare is like a tick but you can't treat it like one, since it feeds directly on someone's psyche; it could cause more harm than good to forcefully remove it." 

"That's why I have measures in place to do so but I will need help to do it. My semblance allows me to permit people to enter dreams; if we get a few people inside of her's then we may have a chance to dislodge it from her mental state." Shion explained as she glanced to the group. "Who here is the closest to her?" Shion asked as she placed a jar nearby on a table.

"I can go." Yang offered as she got up; "We stuck together most of the entrance exam and we tend to hang out more….Well…About as much as her and Jae at least." Yang mentioned with a chuckle to sneak in a tease at Jae.

"If I can help then let me, I can at least ensure Yang doesn't go too crazy if something happens." Jae promised as he tried to shrug off the embarrassment.

"Good, then we can send you two in to evaluate the situation and take it from there. climb into the beds on either side and we can start." Shion elaborated as she twirled her staff, making a series of purple threads form a web under the beds to link Blake with the others.

"Wait a minute, if that's the case then why don't we all go? Maybe we can get this fixed up with more people in Blake's dreams." Ruby suggested as she asked Shion and Ozpin with a determined look to try and help. "We CAN do that, can't we?"

Ozpin tapped his cane pensively as Shion shook her head; "Unfortunately that is counterproductive in two different ways…The first is that my Semblance can't handle too many people in one mindscape for too long since it requires a lot of effort to get you all in AND out of that space."


Ruby deflated a little as she realised that poked a hole in her plan; "So who do we send in to help Blake?"

"That is my next point to mention; Going into this kind of world is unpredictable for any one person…Which is why I'm going to need people who have the closest bond to go after her…That way, it becomes easier for someone to stay the most grounded in that world." Shion mentioned as she looked to the group.

"The closest? I guess if we're gonna talk semantics then maybe Yang and Jae do." Weiss pointed out as she gazed to Blake; "Her and Yang were the first ones to meet up and become friends…And Jae has been studying with her so I'd say out of the five of us, those two fit the bill."

Shion nodded as she guided Yang and Jae on parallel beds to Blake; "I'll say this once so take it seriously; Your first priority is to find the Nightmare's roots and destroy it completely…With how it's progressed, it could have manifested some nasty mental constructs as a security measure." She warned as she twirled her staff.

"Good luck you two…And Jae…Please don't do anything too reckless in there…" Weiss thought to herself as she watched the blonde and her slowly budding crush fall into sleep.

Jae found himself waking up to the feeling of hot winds blowing against his face; As he sat up and looked around, he found himself in a vast, vast desert with nothing around but collapsed ruins. "What the…." He said to himself as he noticed the ruins had what looked like the old White Fang's emblem plastered on the sides along with a small speck of green in the distance. "Well, I'm guessing if the Nightmare's anywhere it's there." Jae mused as he summoned up Ripper in his Bike form and sped off into the dunes towards the oasis with a heavy roar.

At the top of a fortress stood a blonde ponytailed woman watching the dust cloud quickly kick up dust towards the oasis in the distance; "Looks like we've got a new player in the game…Time to make our move…" She thought to herself before grabbing a gauntlet nearby.

Jae thanked whatever conjured up his clothing for dealing with the desert and the hot wind; Blake's mindscape had put him in a sleeveless blue hoody with goggles along with fingerless gloves, black pants and scuffed brown boots. "You'd think with all the books she reads, her mindscape would be some castle in the stormy mountains, not some gigantic desert…" He thought to himself but focused up when he saw a figure in the distance and pumped the brakes on his bike before stopping.

"So, the Empress's Love Slave has gotten out of his cage…Why exactly…And how did you get past all her guards?" The woman would say as she had what looked like an Ursa's faceplate nestled on her forehead and wearing what looked like Desert barbarian's armour plus two large gauntlets that glimmered like gold in the desert sun.

Jae didn't seem to have the right retort or even the right words to say about the whole thing; Mainly because this woman appeared almost out of nowhere for the most part…But the fact that this girl happened to be the spitting image of Yang.

"Wait…What was that about a Love Slave?"