Chapter 17

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"No."

His response stops Yang and Weiss dead in their tracks, both girls turning towards him with furrowed brows. It's Yang who speaks, her tone incredulous.

"No?"

Shaking his head, curling his hands into fists, Jaune steps forward.

"I should have worded it differently. I AM coming with you both. I AM going to help… whether you like it or not."

Perhaps it's a bit aggressive, perhaps it's a bit presumptive. After all, while he's been intimate with all four members of Team RWBY, who's Jaune to say what each of them really thinks of him? It's entirely possible that for them, their experiences with him only amount to simple flings. Of course, that's just Jaune's own insecurities talking, not that he knows that.

Yang and Weiss exchange a glance with one another, some nonverbal conversation taking place between the two of them. For a moment, Jaune wonders if they really are going to try to knock him out or restrain him to keep him from going with them, and he tenses up, ready for a fight. It would be entirely counterproductive, and if they attacked him, he'd make sure to let them both know how foolish they were being, but no matter what, he wasn't backing down now.

Ruby and Blake were in trouble, Yang and Weiss were going to save them, and one way or another, Jaune was going to help out in whatever way he possibly could. Perhaps the two girls read his determination in every resolved line of his current stance. Perhaps they were just more willing to let him come along then they'd initially let on. Because in the end, after their silent conversation is finished, they turn towards him and Yang pipes up again, followed by Weiss.

"Alright, you can come with."

"Just don't get in the way, Arc."

Ah, right through the heart. It looked like Team RWBY's resident Ice Princess was back in full force now that she'd had her time with him. Though, if he wasn't mistaken, he was pretty sure he caught the faintest tinge of red to Weiss' cheeks as he gives her a grin and a nod. In the end, the three of them race off, grabbing a Bullhead out of Beacon and down into Vale.

It turns out to be a good thing that Jaune got them to let him come with them, because he would have put his all into following them if possible, but there's no denying that Vale's Warehouse District is a fucking mess, all turns and corners and just really hard to navigate unless you've either worked in it for years, or have a map with a marker on it to tell you exactly where you're going. That's what Yang and Weiss have, a little blinking light in the middle of the city's warehouse district, and that's where they, with Jaune in tow, end up at, ultimately.

At this time, much of the Warehouse District is quiet, silent as the grave even… but not the warehouse that the three of them pull up to. Despite looking like it's seen better days, despite a dilapidated exterior that makes Jaune think the place should be abandoned… there's quite a lot of activity outside and inside the warehouse, with masked men loading crates into trucks one after the other.

Not just masked men, Jaune realizes with a start at the same moment that Yang inhales sharply and Weiss hatefully hisses out two words under her breath.

"White Fang…"

As weird as it is, she's not wrong as far as Jaune can tell. It is the White Fang, and upon closer inspection, they're loading crates of dust… likely stolen dust, into the back of the truck. It all begins to come together in Jaune's mind, and he finds himself realizing that they've stumbled upon at least one of the bases that the White Fang have apparently been using to commit Dust Robberies all across the city.

This is big… this is bigger than big… honestly, it's probably bigger than any of them. But before Jaune can rightfully point that out to his two companions and suggest that they consider calling in the proper authorities, Yang clenches her jaw and powers up her wrist-shotguns.

"Ruby and Blake are in there… that's where the distress beacon is. Which means we have to get inside, now."

"I'm always up for kicking some White Fang ass."

Perhaps as a testament to the fact that they didn't want him to come along in the first place, Jaune doesn't get a vote. One moment, Yang and Weiss are casually talking about attacking the White Fang swarming in and out of the warehouse… and the next, they're doing it. All Jaune can really do in response is grimace and draw Crocea Mors, half-wishing he'd actually taken Ruby up on that offer for getting a real hunter's weapon before now as he hefts his sword and shield combo and wades out into the fray.

Wading is the right descriptor when comparing Jaune to his two companions, but in his own way, he's pretty sure he helps them both significantly. He can't move like Yang or Weiss, perhaps, but what he lacks in agility, he more than makes up for in sheer stamina and aura size. As they commit to a full frontal assault on the White Fang outside of the warehouse, Jaune is right there with Yang and Weiss, his sword slashing through the air, his shield blocking bullets and bashing in skulls wherever it can.

… Maybe it's all of those extra lessons with Pyrrha. Maybe it's just Beacon's training in general… but Jaune is rather surprised to find that the three of them, half-trained students at best… are actually winning. There's dozens of White Fang, especially when those inside of the warehouse realize they're under attack and move to assist their fellows. And yet, between the three of them, Jaune, Yang, and Weiss are taking down all comers, putting thug after thug and goon after goon into the dirt before moving onto the next opponent.

Eventually, the outside of the warehouse looks like a battlefield, some groaning, some moaning, but mostly just unconscious White Fang laid out all around him and his female companions, the lot of them beaten to within an inch of their life… or at least Jaune hoped. They'd all had aura, as it was, so there wasn't much blood that he could see, but Jaune couldn't say for sure that his companions had held back as much as he had.

And aura, while great, didn't always stop internal injuries… still, Jaune couldn't allow himself to really feel bad for his enemies. They still had friends inside the warehouse after all, supposedly. Hm, hopefully Ruby and Blake weren't hidden or something, because Yang and Weiss hadn't exactly made any attempt to be stealthy.

As it so happens, that's not a concern it turns out. When Yang and Weiss rush into the warehouse proper with Jaune on their heels, it's incredibly easy to locate both Ruby and Blake. The two girls are front and center, with Blake gagged and tied to a chair, her head bowed, making it clear she's unconscious. Ruby, meanwhile, is currently on the ground, squirming and struggling, her aura clearly having failed, but the fight still not out of her, even if her current attempts to escape the woman stepping on her are completely ineffectual.

Said woman is… certainly striking. One would think that in this day and age, most wouldn't be capable of pulling off a bowler hat. But with the rest of her ensemble, from the white jacket to the matching black elbow-length gloves and thigh-high heeled boots, to the corset beneath the jacket and skirt… it all made for a very seductive ensemble, at the end of the day.

It also made for a recognizable ensemble. After all, you'd have to be living under a rock not to recognize the woman from her wanted posters alone. Commonly referred to as the Most Wanted Woman in all of Vale, even Jaune knew who she was at this point. He hadn't, back when he'd first arrived at Beacon, but over the last few months of classes and learning, rumors of her exploits and her crimes had made their way into many casual conversations.

So yes, Jaune knew Roma Torchwick on sight, as did Yang and Weiss. The Criminal Mastermind's presence, along with the state of their teammates, brings both girls up short for a moment, especially since, despite how many goons the three of them had taken care of outside, there are still ten more masked White Fang thugs standing arrayed behind Roma and their teammates.

Looking up from where she's currently grinding Ruby's face into the floor with one of her heeled stilettos, Roma just smiles and holds up a scroll in one hand. Ruby's scroll, Jaune realizes a heart-stopping moment later.

"I was wondering how the fuck MORE of you kiddies found us when I started hearing tell of a commotion outside. Imagine my surprise when I searched this little bitch and found her scroll transmitting her location… presumably to you lot. Unfortunate, since she SHOULD have been searched when we first caught her snooping around. But… it's hard to find good help these days."

Roma smirks as she gives a pointed look to the White Fang behind her. While she's looking away, Yang makes to lunge forward, only to abort the attempt when Torchwick's cane, Melodic Cudgel, a weapon almost as famous as its femme fatale of a wielder, is suddenly pressed against the back of Ruby's aura-less, utterly defenseless head. Ruby goes still, and Yang freezes up even as Roma slowly turns her head back around, smirking easily and tutting as she waggles the index finger of the hand holding Ruby's scroll.

"Ah-ah-ah… not another move, blondie. Or this scroll won't be the only casualty, hear me?"

She applies a bit of aura-enhanced force to her grip, and Ruby's scroll shatters in her grasp. Heart in his throat, Jaune doesn't know what to do. Both Ruby and Blake are captured, and Ruby… Ruby could be killed any moment. This is a bad situation, potentially the worst possible situation, like a powder keg that can go off any moment.

Even still, he's been trained since he was a boy. Maybe not in fighting, that training came later… but in his Family Techniques. As such, when Roma Torchwick's gaze, which has been slowly, languidly sliding across their faces, finally settling onto his, Jaune reacted purely on instinct when he used Eyes of Love on her.

Now, Eyes of Love wasn't some brainwashing technique. It wasn't mind control, it didn't suddenly turn Roma into his thrall or make her his slave. Hell, with Saphron, it had barely slowed her down. At the end of the day, Eyes of Love was akin to dressing better or cleaning oneself up, or wearing some sort of fancy, attractive cologne. All it did was accentuate what was already there.

Which meant, it would do nothing to Roma Torchwick if she didn't see something in him that was already attractive to her. It shouldn't have worked at all… but the Criminal Mastermind freezes up for a whole second nevertheless, and when she comes back to herself, a wicked sort of smile spreads across her face.

"Well, well… here I thought I was going to have to deal with a bunch of bitches… but you brought something of a hunk with you, didn't you? Oi, you in the back, step forward."

Jaune hesitates briefly, but when Yang and Weiss look at him, he realizes just as they have that he has no choice but to do as Roma says, especially with Ruby's life on the line. Slowly, he steps forward, past the two girls he came here with, and carefully closes the distance between himself and Roma, as well as her two hostages.

Bringing Melodic Cudgel up from the back of Ruby's head, Roma instead uses it to lift Jaune's head appraisingly, pressing the end of the cane up against the bottom of his chin and turning his face this way and that so she can look him over. Eventually, she gives a satisfied nod.

"What's your name?"

"Jaune. Jaune Arc."

He manages to say it without stuttering or stammering, but he doesn't go for the cheesy ole pick up line of "rolls off the tongue and ladies love it". It's neither the time nor the place, he's pretty sure. For a moment, Roma seems to consider his name, before smirking wickedly once more.

"I suppose you'll do. I am owed, after these bitches ruined my operations here. Going to have to move now that too many idiots know the address. But… I'm feeling generous, Jaune Arc. So, I'll make you an offer you really don't want to refuse. You… for them."

Jaune blinks, even as Yang and Weiss and even Ruby all cry out in denial, only to be silenced by Roma cutting them off with a sharp gesture of her free hand… though with Ruby, it's a stomp of her boot against the girl's back that silences her again.

"Rather simple, isn't it? I'll leave the four of them here, unmolested and free to go… if you come with me and my men to our next location. You'll have to lose the scroll, obviously… can't have more rats tracking us down because of my minions' sheer incompetence, after all."

It was rather simple, wasn't it? Jaune had a choice before him, that much was obvious. But it wasn't quite as one sided as Roma thought, in his humble opinion. For one, whether it was overconfidence or simply sheer oversight, Roma hadn't disarmed him yet. He was still holding Crocea Mors and his shield in his hands. And now the cane wasn't pressed up against the back of Ruby's skull, ready to blow her head off. Instead, it was nestled against Jaune's chin… against his rather substantial aura, in fact. He was confident he could tank a handful of shots, even if they were dust-infused. He'd done so before, in fact.

But there was still a lot of risk involved. Roma wasn't alone, with those ten White Fang goons still arrayed behind her, Ruby, and Blake, all of them armed and bristling for a fight. Ruby was still aura-less, and even a stray shot could maim or kill the young woman. Blake was unconscious and tied to a chair, and unlikely to be much help.

Jaune could start a brawl right now, trusting in Yang and Weiss to react swiftly enough and back him up so that he could fight Roma and her goons off and save Ruby and Blake. Or, he could surrender and say yes, offering himself over to Roma as a hostage so that Team RWBY would at least be safe. It'd mean losing his scroll… but it might literally be the difference between life and death for Ruby.

Still, he, Yang, and Weiss had taken care of those White Fang outside the warehouse quite handily, hadn't they? What's to say they weren't a match for Roma and her thugs, now that his Eyes of Love technique had let him get in close and personal with the Criminal Mastermind?

What was he going to do?